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.

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.

The substance-over-form doctrine broadly holds that the economic substance of a transaction should be considered over the legal form in order to determine the true nature of a transaction. The doctrine is a well-established argument often used by the IRS to dispute transactions that, it believes, lack economic substance. Taxpayers have traditionally had less success invoking the doctrine because they generally play an active role in drafting the form of the transaction.

“What if you could get exactly what you want in life by reading and understanding the body language of murderers?” asks Janine Driver, New York Times Best-Selling Author and Award-Winning Keynote Speaker. With more than 16 years of experience as a federal law enforcement officer within the Department of Justice, Janine will be presenting the opening plenary session for the 2021 Bench Bar Conference in Louisville from June 17-19.

The Indiana Department of Revenue recently issued Income Tax Information Bulletin 119 addressing Indiana’s conformity to the Internal Revenue Code (IRC.) The bulletin addresses IRC provisions that are not followed by Indiana and clarifies specific issues related to the “CARES Act” including student loan payments, suspension of loss limitations, special rules for retirement distributions, coronavirus-related teacher expenses and net operating losses.

There are many opinions and projections swirling around about potential tax changes under the Biden administration. Estate planners should begin to consider how potential changes will affect recommendations they make to clients in the coming months and years.

How can you keep up with pending legislation that’s important to you and your practice? With the help of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, the IndyBar Legislative Committee (chaired by Mindy Westrick of the Indiana Energy Association) provides weekly Bill Watch reports throughout the session, which highlight progress and recent actions taken on bills being monitored by the association.

Looking to find your next great law clerk or show your support for diversity in our community? Employer and sponsor registration is now open for the 2021 Diversity Job Fair!

The US government's fiscal year ended on September 30, with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projecting the US deficit to be roughly $3.13T, or 15.2% of GDP. With discussions of future stimulus circulating throughout Washington, deficit figures will likely continue to grow. So, how are these escalations curtailed? The government could stop spending at unsustainable levels or they could raise taxes.

It's the season of giving and even during the hardships of 2020, generous sponsors, bidders and donors helped the Indianapolis Bar Foundation raise over $26,000 during IndyBar's Giving, this year's online silent auction to benefit the programs and initiatives of the foundation.