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

With in-office work still now a very disjointed proposition for law firms, attorneys continue to struggle with managing a distributed workforce—often for the first time. 

Many solo and small firm practitioners represent small business.  As this article from CNBC notes, while PPP funding has run out for most types of businesses, there remain many resources for small businesses, particularly the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program (the latter applies to theaters and other live performance venues that closed during the pandemic).

Many small and solo practitioners already have been using home offices, shared workspaces, and other alternative environments, but as this ABA Journal article notes, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated adoption of virtual and alternative setups.

One of the most challenging aspects of case evaluation in a plaintiff personal injury firm is the assessment of the potential client. The potential client is sometimes the sole source of the facts we use to decide whether to accept representation. Yet, we sometimes jump ahead of ourselves and evaluate the alleged facts of liability, damages and insurance coverage out of context. Our evaluations are worthless if we do not first assess the reliability of the information we are receiving and the potential clients themselves. Here are some red flags indicating you should stop and think carefully before accepting a potential personal injury client’s request for representation.

The Indianapolis Bar Association has selected 18 emerging attorney leaders to participate in its Bar Leader Series. With the goal of preparing talented and diverse early-career lawyers to take their places as both leaders in the legal profession and leaders in addressing needs of the community, the Bar Leader Series is an intensive year-long leadership development program designed specifically for Indianapolis Bar Association member attorneys in their third to tenth year of practice.

Need advice on how to make this year’s Bench Bar Conference the best one ever? IndyBar member and longtime attendee of the Bench Bar Conference Claire Emswiller is here to answer your inquiries, dish out advice and get everyone ready to get back down to Louisville and enjoy a few days with your friends.

As the coronavirus pandemic (hopefully) reaches its end in the United States, one thing has become abundantly clear: that attorneys should be moving as many analog processes as they can to digital processes.

Imagine now a world in which you built the assembly line first.  As a solo or small firm business owner, you too should add the processes before you hire.

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.