Service on the Indianapolis Bar Association Board of Directors is an invaluable opportunity to play a role in the future of the legal community.

The Internal Revenue Service used an example for distribution rules of inherited IRAs that had some financial advisers worried.

Anyone with an estate of $3.5 million or more should think about getting in line now to talk to an estate professional, because offices everywhere are busy dealing with proposed changes to our estate and gift tax policies.

Americans do not yet know if there will be another stimulus check in 2021. We do know that the IRS is nearly done sending out its third round of stimulus checks, and some lawmakers are already pushing for a fourth. Though some households are showing signs of economic recovery after more than a year of shutdowns due to the coronavirus, CNBC reports that nearly thirty percent of Americans were unable to cover their living expenses in late March.  Further data from the US Census Bureau indicates about eighteen million adults are going hungry every month.

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.

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Jimmy Gomez introduced a new bill, "For the 99.5 Percent Act," into Congress on March 25, 2021. The bill's current form is only 18 pages long, but its potential impact on federal estate and gift tax laws significantly affects estate planning. While it is impossible to determine if the bill will pass into law, some of the act's key elements may inspire Congress to increase the estate tax using other mechanisms should this bill fail. They might also seek to remove well-known tools like trusts to bypass taxation upon your death to generate revenue for federal programs.

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.

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.

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. 

When racial disparity and inequality came to a head in Summer 2020, it quickly became obvious that the association had a responsibility to respond and to act on the many long-standing contributing structural issues present not only throughout the country but here at home in the Indianapolis community as well.