Submissions of interest are now being taken for the 2025 Board of Directors of the Indianapolis Bar Association. A variety of opportunities to lead are available with varying responsibilities and time commitments among the roles. The following vacancies exist for the coming year and must be filled by an attorney member:

• 1st Vice President (Also a member of the Executive Committee. Serves one-year term and will automatically assume the office of President-elect in 2026 and President in 2027.)

The 1st Vice President is in line to assume the presidency of the association with the full-time assistance of the Executive Director.  The 1st Vice President is a member of the leadership team with direct influence over the success of the association $2+ million operating budget, 12-person staff, and services and programs provided to nearly 5,000 members. The average monthly time commitment of the 1st Vice President is 4-6 hours.

• Secretary (Also a member of the Executive Committee. Serves a two-year term, 2025 and 2026.)

The Secretary keeps the written record of board and executive committee meetings. The Association supplies a laptop for in-person meetings to allow for real-time recording of minutes to limit the time required by the Secretary outside normal association meetings. The average monthly time commitment for the Secretary is 2-3 hours.

• Delegate to the American Bar Association (Serves a two-year term, 2025 and 2026.)

The Delegate to the American Bar Association (“ABA”) represents IndyBar at all meetings of the ABA and serves as the liaison between the ABA and the IndyBar President, Board of Directors, and Executive Committee. The Association provides a stipend to offset the cost of attending the midyear and annual meetings of the ABA but does not pay the annual dues to join the ABA.

• At-Large Director (There are five positions available, each two-year terms, 2025 and 2026.)

At-Large Directors are involved and engaged in determining policies, procedures, and regulations for the Association. The monthly time commitment of an at-large director is 2-3 hours per month.
The Board of Directors, which is made up of 33 members of the association, meets bi-monthly with the Executive Committee meeting in the off months. Tasked with setting and the policies of the Association and guiding the implementation of the association’s strategic plan, the board of directors has the opportunity to provide meaningful impact on the success of our Indianapolis legal community. 

All members of the Board of Directors are expected to provide active and visible support for the association’s programs and services, and visibly support the activities of the association on a monthly basis including special events and the Bench Bar Conference. Board members are also expected to support the Indianapolis Bar Foundation with a financial contribution within their individual means. The average monthly time required of a board member is 2-3 hours. Members of the board also attend an overnight retreat each November for the purpose of training and planning.

Self-nomination for board consideration is encouraged, as are nominations of colleagues. The interest form is brief and is found online at www.indybar.org/nominate. Deadline to submit is Sunday, August 18, 2024. The Nominating Committee will select an inclusive slate of nominees which reflects the diversity of our community while recognizing current and previous leadership and service to the Indianapolis Bar Association.

Congratulations to these IndyBar members on their accomplishments! Have something to share? Email Becca Lienemann to be featured.

Melinda Mains recently started her new position as Vice President Compliance and General Counsel at Christian Church Foundation.

We are proud to share the Virtual Ask a Lawyer program surpassed the 20,000 questions answered mark this April!

On Apr. 18, 2024, members of the Bench and the Bar attended the robing ceremony for The Hon. A. Richard M. Blaiklock. The room was full of friendly faces there to welcome and congratulate Judge Blaiklock on his new role as a Marion Superior Court Judge. You can watch the ceremony recording here. 

Congratulations to these IndyBar members on their accomplishments! Have something to share? Email Becca Lienemann to be featured.

Audreyalice Warner recently joined Lewis Wagner LLP as an associate. She concentrates on premises, product, and auto & TNC liabilities.

Michael Watkins joined Lewis Wagner LLP as an associate. He specializes in labor and employment litigation, primarily focusing on complex tort and professional liability.

Ed Merchant is now practicing at Smid & Merchant LLC.

Law Student Division Election Results
The IndyBar Law Student Division Executive Board recently held its elections for the 2024-2025 school year. Join us in congratulating the following students on their election to the executive committee:

Chair: Sarah Brown, IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Vice Chair: Clare Van Prooyen, IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Secretary: Brooklyn Hayes, IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Liaison Coordinator: Elizabeth Cornejo, IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Seminar Coordinator: Sophia Cadwell, IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Marketing Coordinator: Jake Hill, IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law

SUMMARY: The Indianapolis Bar Association (“IndyBar”) has learned of recent public statements attacking the Marion County criminal justice system generally, and the Honorable Mark D. Stoner specifically. These statements come in the wake of Judge Stoner’s sentencing of Elliahs Dorsey (“Dorsey”), the individual charged in the April 2020 shooting death of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (“IMPD”) Officer Breann Leath. Officer Leath was tragically shot to death after responding to a call regarding a disturbance between a male and a female. After hours of deliberation, Dorsey’s jury acquitted him of Murder. The jury found Dorsey Guilty but Mentally Ill of lesser included offenses. After Dorsey’s sentence was pronounced, some made statements that either implied or outright erroneously stated that Judge Stoner inappropriately sentenced Dorsey to far less than the maximum sentence in the killing of Officer Leath. Some made remarks in the local media that dangerous offenders can shoot anyone and simply say they have a mental health problem, and they will receive a “sweetheart” sentence. This rhetoric is dangerous, and it is false.

For the killing of Officer Leath, the Court was limited to only a six-year sentence based on what the jury found Dorsey guilty of. When judges sentence offenders convicted of crimes, they are limited by the statutory sentencing guidelines for the crime. When deciding on an appropriate sentence, judges are required to start in the middle of that range and then consider specific statutory factors, called mitigating and aggravating factors, when deciding whether to impose a harsher sentence or a lighter sentence. The sentence Judge Stoner imposed on Dorsey for the count of Reckless Homicide was nine months shy of the maximum sentence allowed under the law. There is no statutory aggravator to enable judges to impose a harsher sentence on Reckless Homicide when the victim is a police officer who is killed in the line of duty. Dorsey’s total sentence for the crimes he committed in April 2020 was 45 years and 118 days, 30 years of which is to be executed in prison followed by 15 years of probation where the Court will monitor Dorsey’s behavior and mental health condition. Should Dorsey not abide by the conditions of his mental health probation, he could be sent back to prison to serve the remainder of his 15-year term of probation.

It is understandable that officers and citizens are aggrieved by the fact that the shooter was not sentenced to a much longer period of incarceration. However, misrepresenting the facts and the law to cast blame on a specific judge and the courts at large is misplaced. If reckless homicide of a police officer should carry with it a harsher sentence than the maximum of six years it currently carries, we have a responsibility to inform our legislators on this issue and to advocate for changes to the law. Only in uniting to better protect our community at large are we able to affect positive change. 

As the Indianapolis Bar Association has done for the past 11+ years, we are pleased to be a sponsor of the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society’s 11th annual Timeless Tips from the Bench & Bar event. This highly anticipated gathering offers valuable insights and updates on key laws and changes, along with engaging discussions and guidance on court decorum, tips, refreshers on skills, all being led by premier members of our legal community. It's a unique opportunity to learn directly from experienced judges and gain practical wisdom for our legal careers. 

Indiana Supreme Court Justice Derek Molter chairs the event, with our keynote from Judge Michael Brennan of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Programming also includes hearing from a majority of the judges on the Indiana Court of Appeals, along with distinguished trial court judges and attorneys. Please join the ILAS CLE at the Indianapolis Marriott North hotel, at Keystone Crossing, on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Buffet breakfast, plated lunch, afternoon dessert, and all day beverages included. Arrive anytime after 8 a.m. for breakfast. The program starts at 9 a.m.. What an incredible opportunity to meet with our speakers and support the ILAS. this program has been approved for six hours of CLE credit, including one hour of ethics. 

Since 1941, the ILAS has provided attorneys, without charge, to the destitute throughout Indiana. Each year on average nearly 6,000 people make appointments, and our attorneys meet with over 4,000 people. ILAS attorneys appear over two times per day in court, making ILAS one of the busiest law firms in the America. The ILAS helps poor and elderly people who face eviction stay in their homes, as well as handle adoptions, custody problems, divorce, visitation, expungements, guardianships, landlord/tenant, restoration of driver licenses - all at a cost of about $100 per client. 

Attending and (hopefully) sponsoring a table allows you and your law firm to forge meaningful connections and collaborations within our legal community, while also demonstrating your support for our profession. To read more details and register for this event, visit www.indylas.org/cle-event. If you'd like to sponsor this event or learn more, please contact the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society at (317) 635-9538 or lisah@indylas.org. 

The Marion County Circuit Court is accepting resumes for a full-time Juvenile Magistrate. This position will begin on June 17, 2024 and will comprise of approximately 70% of juvenile paternity Title IV-D work and approximately 30% of general civil litigation work. The juvenile magistrate work will entail presiding over the Title IV-D establishment docket.  The civil work will include presiding over name change dockets, civil protective order cases, real estate cases such as quiet title cases, and a limited general civil litigation docket.

If you’re interested, you can read more about the opportunity and apply here. Applications are due by midnight April 24.