Congratulations and best wishes to these IndyBar members on their career moves and accomplishments! Have something to share? Email Julie Armstrong to be featured.

 
Taft welcomes Elizabeth Little as an attorney in the firm's Bankruptcy and Restructuring group in the Indianapolis office. She provides integrated and strategic legal counsel on financial matters, including complex financial transactions, corporate debt restructurings, related litigation matters, and commercial contracts.

 
Chad Oswald has joined Dentons in Indianapolis as of counsel. A member of Dentons’ Commercial Litigation practice, Chad focuses his practice on fiduciary, commercial and real estate disputes. He also represents small businesses, shareholders, closely held business members and large corporations in complex commercial litigation.
 

ChatGPT is all anyone can seem to talk about these days, from grandmas to grade schoolers.  That is how you know when a technology has captured the popular zeitgeist. Now, if you haven’t used it yet, or are unfamiliar with it, ChatGPT is what is called a ‘generative AI’ tool, that is rendered in the form of a chatbot.

Mediation Day is back, and it's better than ever! Join us on August 11th at the Community Justice Center (CJC) to mediate 40 family law cases and free up the dockets. Come volunteer to help the court and the community at Mediation Day 2023!
 

The day will be split into three volunteering shifts: Morning, Afternoon, or All-Day. Check-in starts at 8 a.m. outside the Jury Assembly Room for Morning and All-Day. For the Afternoon shift, check-in begins at 12 p.m. outside the same room. Room assignments will be provided upon check-in.

Law students can shadow mediators or parties and Civil Mediators are welcome to volunteer, even though most cases are family law related.

You can also refer a case by clicking here!

For case referrals, please follow the listed criteria: DR, DC, DN, or JP, pre- or post-decree, focusing on straightforward property divisions, custody and parenting time establishment/modification, child support, and/or college expenses. Additionally, the combined household incomes of the parties should not exceed $100,000 for assignment. Complex property divisions are best handled outside of Mediation Day.
 

Your time and support are greatly appreciated! We look forward to seeing you at Mediation Day 2023!

The nomination period has begun for the 2024 Boards of Directors for the Indianapolis Bar Association AND the Indianapolis Bar Foundation. There are also opportunities for service with the Association's Section and Division Executive Committees.  Volunteering with IndyBar is an invaluable opportunity to play a role in the future of our legal community.

Nominations are now being accepted for IndyBar's 2023 Paralegal of the Year Award. We encourage you to nominate someone who stands out in the paralegal profession and deserves special recognition. Deadline is April 7th. The award recipient will be honored at the Paralegal Luncheon on June 2, 2023.

Nominate your paralegal here.

Register for the event here. 

As we come to the final weeks of 2022, feeling overwhelmed and burned out with work is a common and shared experience amongst lawyers and their staff members. During these hectic times, it is important to remember the positives of working in family law to help finish the year strong and with a good mindset. Take time to reflect on this past year and celebrate the successes! By following these tips, we hope you can alleviate the stressors around this season and remind yourselves of why you do the hard family law work and the ways you have helped families this year.

Submit your nominations for the Deborah Shook IndyBar Family Law Section Award by October 23, 2022.

So…let’s talk parenting time. It has been months since the updates to the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines went into effect January 1, 2022. The Family Law Section hosted a CLE back in October 2021 to highlight some of the changes coming and recently hosted another CLE to talk about how the changes are going since January.

The Family Support Community Day will serve as a “one-stop shop,” for a wide variety of family services to address the concerns and needs of families in Marion County. The Prosecutor’s Office understands that in addition to receiving child support and driver’s license assistance families need assistance in housing, legal services, employment, and many other areas in order to maintain a healthy living environment. Vendors and service providers have volunteered to provide access to their organization’s specialized resources and staff.

The U.S. Supreme Court handed down some major decisions over the last few weeks. Those decisions have angered some and pleased others. The overturning of Roe v. Wade, will, almost certainly, impact the practice of family law. That impact may come in the way of additional paternity and divorce cases. We may see an increase in CHINS and TPR cases. There will also be an increase in adoption cases and perhaps not just in the traditional sense.