Indiana

Judge Grants Request to Bar Prosecutor ‘Jaw-Jacking’ Outside Chambers

A makeshift sign posted outside the chambers of an Indiana judge consists of the word “jaw-jacking” covered by a circle with a line through it. The warning was posted outside the chambers of Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. of Lake County after he granted a defense lawyer’s request to bar prosecutors…

Jan 9, 2012 12:00 PM CST

Indy Lawyers Prepare For Super Bowl’s Impact

As football fans prepare to descend on Indianapolis for Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 5, the city’s lawyers are busy prepping contingency plans to ensure legal business continues as normal. From addressing parking concerns for court hearings, to allowing remote access to firm servers, to adjusting office hours to account…

Jan 5, 2012 7:40 PM CST

Indy’s Bingham McHale to Wed Ky.-Based Firm; Merged Bingham Greenebaum Will Have 250 Lawyers

A marriage of equals is to take place in January between Indiana’s Bingham McHale and Kentucky-based Greenebaum Doll & McDonald, the two law firms announced today. The combined law firm, which will have almost 250 lawyers, will be known as Bingham Greenbaum Doll, the Indianapolis Business Journal reports. “Each firm…

Dec 21, 2011 8:11 PM CST

Bose McKinney Name Partner’s ‘Transformative’ $24M Gift Results in Name Change for Indy Law School

Corrected: A “transformative” $24 million gift by a name partner of Bose McKinney & Evans has already achieved one major change at Indiana University’s law school in Indianapolis—its name. As of yesterday, when the donation by Robert H. McKinney, 86, was announced, the institution is now known as the Indiana…

Dec 2, 2011 12:25 PM CST

Indiana Lawyer Who Started His Legal Career as a 17-Year-Old Judge Gets the World Record

Indiana lawyer Marc Griffin has claimed the title once held by a Texas man: Guinness World Records has declared that Griffin holds the record for being the world’s youngest judge. Griffin was an enterprising 17-year-old high school graduate in 1974 when he persuaded county commissioners to appoint him to fill…

Oct 31, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Disbarred After $1.48M Alleged BigLaw Billing Fraud, Ex-Attorney Faces Uphill Reinstatement Battle

Gary and Maureen Fairchild made headlines in the 1990s when the high-profile BigLaw couple were accused of bilking their respective law partners of more than $2 million through collusive law firm billing fraud at the same time that the two Chicago lawyers were legally taking home hundreds of thousands of…

Oct 21, 2011 10:31 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Allegedly Kicked In Boyfriend’s Door and Had Knife in Bra Is Suspended

The Indiana Supreme Court yesterday ordered the interim suspension of a lawyer accused last year of kicking in a door, committing a battery on her boyfriend and carrying a knife in her bra. It was allegedly was discovered by a jail corrections officer. Olubunmi Okanlami was found guilty of battery…

Oct 7, 2011 6:17 PM CDT

Lawyer and Ex-Client Charged in Perjury and Obstruction Case re Failed Hospital and Offshore Trust

An Indiana lawyer and his former client have been federally indicted in Chicago in a perjury and obstruction case related to the demise of an Illinois hospital in which both formerly had an ownership interest. Attorney Frederick M. Cuppy and Peter G. Rogan are accused of standing in the way…

Oct 4, 2011 5:13 PM CDT

Suits Filed over Indiana Stage Collapse Test Civil Union Rights, Challenge Damage Cap

Indiana lawyer Kenneth Allen hopes to overturn the state’s cap on damages and establish rights for same-sex partners in lawsuits stemming from the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair. Indiana caps the state’s liability for damages at $5 million for a single event, the Associated Press reports. Lawyer Kenneth…

Sep 27, 2011 12:37 PM CDT

Judge Acquits Boy, 12, in Murder of Brother, 6, But Finds Him Guilty of Reckless Homicide

Saying that there was a lack of intent, an Indiana judge today acquitted a 12-year-old boy of murdering his 6-year-old brother, but found him guilty, as a juvenile, of reckless homicide. The unidentified boy initially told authorities that his brother had shot himself. But an investigation determined that the 6-year-old’s…

Sep 9, 2011 9:32 PM CDT

News Report Says Uproar in Nearby Courtroom Forced Mistrial in Unrelated Indiana Murder Case

Angry relatives created an uproar in an Indiana courtroom today, after the judge said another murder trial would be scheduled for the defendant following a mistrial yesterday. Meanwhile, the 10-minute fracas in Allen County Superior Judge John Surbeck’s courtroom was so disruptive that forced another judge in a nearby courtroom…

Sep 1, 2011 11:30 PM CDT

Court Workers Told They Can’t Post Drunken Photos, Nasty Comments and Judge Information

Court employees in Indiana’s Delaware County who persist in badmouthing co-workers or writing about their bosses on Facebook could be out of a job. A new social media policy (PDF) bars employees in the county’s circuit courts from posting online information, good or bad, about co-workers, judges, litigants, local cops…

Sep 1, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Ice Miller to Gain Another 90 Attorneys By Merging With Schottenstein Zox

The third-biggest law firm in Indianapolis will soon be among the 150 largest in the country, after a planned merger with the fourth-biggest in Columbus, Ohio. Ice Miller, with 224 lawyers, plans to combine forces on Jan. 1 with 90-attorney Schottenstein Zox & Dunn, according to the Indianapolis Business Review…

Aug 19, 2011 11:50 AM CDT

Prominent Defense Lawyer Charged in Meth Case; Lab Allegedly Found in Her Home

A prominent Southern Indiana criminal lawyer who formerly worked as a public defender and ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the bench several years ago has been arrested on drug charges along with her boyfriend. Leah Fink, 47, is accused of having a meth lab in her home, which she…

Aug 17, 2011 12:14 AM CDT

Indiana AG Sues Fla. Lawyer, Says Home-Loan Modification Business Operated Illegally

A Florida attorney has been sued by the Indiana attorney general over a home-loan modification business that the AG contends the lawyer is operating illegally in his state. In addition to the lawyer, Thomas Matevia, and his Legal Home Loan Solutions business, the AG has also named as defendants the…

Aug 11, 2011 3:43 PM CDT