There are currently two vacancies at the Wayne County Public Defender Office. Information on how to apply, salary, etc. can be found here.

As we all know, Bench Bar was canceled last year due to the ongoing global pandemic. Bench Bar is resuming this year with gusto, with appropriate CDC-guided precautions from June 17-19 in Louisville, KY. It is taking place at the beautiful and new Omni Hotel. We will have access to both indoor and outdoor spaces. Bench Bar is a great time to re-connect with colleagues and make new connections with folks we don’t know or know well. After over a year of being all virtual, it will be a delight to have in-person interactions.

A selection committee acting on behalf of the Indianapolis Bar Association and the Foundation has announced the selection of Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana as a recipient of the IndyBar's prestigious Luminary Award of Excellence. Chief Judge Pratt will be honored at the 2021 IndyBar Bench Bar Conference in Louisville, Kentucky on June 19.

Previously, I’ve discussed one case of wrongful conviction and the creation of the conviction integrity unit at the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. The co-directors of this new unit are Kelly Bauder and Jessica Cicchini. I contacted them to ask a few questions about this new opportunity to help right the wrongs of the past and prevent these types of injustices from happening again.

As we start to make our way to a new normal, get away from your day-to-day routine, take some time to yourself and gain new perspectives! Our event lineup goes beyond education and includes time for you to safely catch up with colleagues at distanced open-air dinner events, receptions, health and wellness activities and casual bull sessions.

While working at home, for albeit a relatively short period of time, I realized that the health of my professional working relationships was suffering. Perhaps you are still working from home. Perhaps you are still primarily attending meetings virtually. Perhaps you feel the same way.

As trials become more and more prevalent, we will all be in the same boat soon enough. I put my head together with some other COVID jury trial-experienced attorneys and made this list of things to think of, that may make the trial a little more predictable, or maybe, at least less scary.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Under the dynamic leadership of IndyBar President Jimmie McMillian, we're celebrating Juneteenth at Bench Bar to bring awareness to our members about this significant piece of history. More importantly, the Juneteenth workshop session will highlight and recognize the experiences and significant contributions that Black attorneys have made to our legal community.

The Indianapolis Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section, Women and the Law Division and Public Outreach Committee are partnering with the Marion County Bar Association to collect donations for Craine House, an innovative work release program for women located in Marion County. During the month of May, the IndyBar will help collect donations by placing a donation box in the vestibule of the Indianapolis Bar Association at 140 North Illinois St. in downtown Indianapolis. We will collect chairs (rocking and smaller chairs), baby gates, diapers (sized 3+), bottles, baby monitors, baby hygiene (soap, shampoo, etc.) and baby medicine (Tylenol, Motrin, gas drops, diaper rash cream, etc.).

This was the last week of the legislative session. It was a busy session with over one hundred bills passing through the complete legislative process. Yesterday afternoon the budget bill, HB 1001, was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers before they adjourned.