STEMMING THE TIDE
ON UNWARRANTED
ATTACKS ON THE JUDICIARY

        As a lawyer, a city judge and President of the Lake County Bar Association, I am deeply concerned with the growing frequency of unwarranted attacks on the integrity and independence of our judiciary.  These attacks have taken the form of derogatory statements against particular judges, expressions of contempt for the entire judicial system and attempts by our legislative bodies to override the independence of the judiciary.  It is difficult to pick up any newspaper these days (local, state or national), without finding an article, commentary, legislative proposal or letter to the editor denouncing the dedicated men and women who serve as our judges.

        Most notably of late is the backlash against judges as a result of the Terri Schiavo case.  Within the last week alone, I read a letter to the editor in The Times describing judges as “evil” decision makers whose decisions harm innocent people.  In support the writer cited as examples the Schiavo case and the “judges in Indianapolis who decided our death by raising our taxes so high.”  Similarly, a recent editorial in the Post Tribune described the Schiavo case as “a governmental determination to kill an innocent woman” and described the judiciary as “the most dangerous branch of our government.”  As judges and lawyers, we must work to better educate the public on what the role of our judiciary is.  Simply put, that role is no more and no less than to apply the existing law to the case at hand despite the current social and/or political climate and even under the most difficult of circumstances.  Robert J. Grey Jr., President of the American Bar Association, said it best in a recent statement:  “The tragic circumstances of the Terri Schiavo case have elicited strong feelings from all quarters.  While this is completely understandable, many commentators and observers have crossed the line in using this tragedy to needlessly, gratuitously and viciously attack the dedicated men and women who serve as America’s judges.  This needs to stop.”  “While it is appropriate for commentators, policymakers and the broader public to debate the societal challenges and dilemmas brought to light by Terri Schiavo’s case, there is no need for personal attacks on the judges in this case.  They are not killers as some have called them, nor are they activists bent on pushing an ideological

agenda. They are simply dedicated public servants called on to serve as impartial arbiters in a very difficult case.  Instead of maligning them for applying existing law to the case at hand, we should praise them for dispensing even-handed justice and upholding the independence of the judiciary even under the most difficult circumstances.  These judges deserve our respect, not our scorn.”

        Of even greater concern than the Schiavo backlash are the recent attempts by our federal and state legislatures to override the independence of the judiciary.  The framers of our federal and state constitutions understood the need for the checks and balances inherent in our three separate branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial), and the need for the judicial branch to be insulated from the pressures of politics and popular opinion.  We saw one attempt to whittle away at the independence of the judiciary when President Bush and Congress quickly enacted a new law to further extend the court’s review process in the Schiavo case.  (Fortunately, Congress only enacted another avenue for appellate review rather than attempting to substitute its judgment for the courts’ interpretation of our existing laws.)  Of even greater concern, however, we are now witnessing attempts by the Indiana legislature to enact new laws which aim to undermine the independence of Indiana’s judiciary.  One proposal made earlier this year proposed to deny a judge the ability to allow defendants to post a refundable 10% cash bond with the court clerk in favor of only being able to post a surety bond through an “insurer” (read “bail bondsman”).  The effect would have been to limit a judge’s authority to set bonds as he or she deems proper for a case and to reward and enrich the bondsman. 

        The latest and most disconcerting legislative proposal in Indiana to usurp the independence of the judiciary attempts to take away the Governor’s right to appoint and Indiana citizen’s right to vote on the retention of our supreme court and appellate court judges and to place that power in the hands of the legislature.  The proposal provides that a justice of the supreme court or judge of the court of appeals shall serve for ten years after their appointment is confirmed by the senate or the justice's or judge's retention in office is confirmed by the senate.  Currently, the Governor appoints our supreme court and appellate court judges from those candidates selected by the judicial nominating committee.  Retention of our supreme court and appellate court judges is by public election.  This proposal provides that a supreme court justice or appellate judge may not take office until being confirmed by the state senate.  Similarly, if a sitting supreme court justice or appellate judge wishes to serve another term, they must apply to the state senate for retention and will be retained unless: (1) the judge or justice does not apply to the senate for retention; or (2) at least 60% of the members of the senate vote against retention.  This proposal is nothing short of a politicalization of our judiciary at its highest levels.  One need only look at the contentious and political nature of the confirmation hearings held by the United States Senate in lifetime appointments to the federal bench – and the resulting number of federal judicial vacancies in recent years – to understand why this usurping of judicial independence will never work for Indiana.  Rather than a judicial appointment and retention system by the Governor and the citizens, our supreme court and appellate court judges, and their decisions, would be at the mercy of the Indiana legislature whenever a judge’s decision does not fit the current social or political climate.  Majority rule, not the rule of law as embodied in our constitution and statutes, would be the final word and the very independence we crave in our judiciary would be compromised.  I have received some assurances that this proposal, like the bail bond proposal before it, will likely not become law in Indiana.  I hope for the sake of our independent judiciary and our citizens that it indeed fails.

        Finally, I would be remiss if I were not to mention the circumstances under which we call upon our judges to take on these difficult cases often filled with family anguish, economic hardship and tremendous social and political repercussions.  First, we have all seen in recent weeks the news reports concerning the killing of a judge in Atlanta, the killing of a judge’s family in Chicago and the call for greater security for our courts and judges.  Some security improvements have been made recently, but more is needed to protect the protectors of our rights.  Secondly, and more easily addressed, is the fact that we ask so much of our judges and yet deny them even a simple cost of living pay raise for years.  Our judges have not had a pay raise – which requires approval by the legislature – for eight years and are currently 48^th in compensation out of our 50 states.  It is time to right an eight year wrong and for our legislature to finally enact another pending proposal which would allow our judges to be fairly compensated and allow modest cost of living increases in the future without having to beg the legislature each year.  A proposal now before the Indiana legislature would do just that.  Judges pay should not be tied to other state employees, should not require new legislation to be passed each year for even the most modest cost of living adjustment and should be determined by an independent commission rather than the legislature.  As our Chief Justice Randall Shepard said in his State of the Judiciary Address, “good enough can never be good enough.” 

        I recently attended a town-meeting type luncheon with Governor Mitch Daniels in Crown Point.  He asked for any and all questions on the minds of those in attendance.  I stood and stated my perceptions of these unwarranted attacks on the integrity and independence of our judiciary, and asked about his thoughts on the above-mentioned legislative items.  I am happy to say he was responsive, well informed and gave me hope that the legislative efforts to usurp the independence of the judiciary would not likely come to pass and that he supported the proposals for reform of how we determine judicial compensation.  Thank you for your time and support, Governor Daniels.  Now I ask that if you, the members of our bench and bar, have not already done so, please contact your state representatives and Governor Daniels’ office and voice your opposition to the proposal to politicize the appointment and retention of our appellate judges and your support of the proposal to reform judicial compensation.  Most of all, however, talk to your clients, your friends, your neighbors and anyone else who will listen.  Tell them that the recent attacks against the dedicated men and women who serve as our judges are unjustified.  Tell them that they are dedicated public servants whose job is to apply existing law to the case at hand without bending to the pressures of popular opinion or political desires.  Tell them that our judges indeed deserve our respect.

Kent A. Jeffirs  

NOTICE FROM THE LAKE CIRCUIT-FAMILY COURT

        Lake County Rules of Family Law, Rule 5 (C), requires an “Approval As To Form” and a signature line for each counsel or pro se litigant on all Agreed orders and Orders prepared pursuant to Rule 5.  Orders submitted without the required “Approval As To Form” will not be accepted by the Lake Circuit Family Court.

        In addition, if you are filing a Motion For Continuance you must always contact the opposing attorney to determine if the matter can be continued by agreement.  If the parties agree to a continuance then you may submit the continuance on a CCS form. If the parties do not agree to the continuance, then you must submit a Motion and proposed Order.  The Motion must state the date you contacted the opposing attorney and whether the opposing attorney objects to the continuance.  Following this simple procedure will greatly expedite the Court’s ruling on pending Motions For Continuance.

 

 

LAWYERS ON THE MOVE
& DIRECTORY CORRECTIONS

         I’m sure all of you are aware that the 2005 LCBA Legal Directories have arrived and have been mailed to the membership.  If after looking through this year’s directory, you find a mistake or change that was not reported to the Bar office, please fax the correction/change to 736-6400.  Please do not call in changes.  Unfortunately a number of changes are sent to the office after the directory information has been sent to the printer.  The deadline each year for changes is January 31^st.

         The corrections/changes will be published each month, as always, in the ‘Lawyers on the Move section of the newsletter.  Please make these changes in your directory.  If you are in need of additional books for your office staff, please mail your payment (including $3.00 postage and handling per book) to the LCBA Office located at 2293 North Main Street, Crown Point, IN 46307.  You can also stop in the office and pick them up and save the postage and handling fees.

         This month’s directory corrections and changes are as follows:

         Connie L. Bauswell has moved her office to Valparaiso.  The new address is 58 Jefferson Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383.  Phone (219) 548-0980. Fax (219) 548-0993.

-----

         Lori V. Gillis has relocated her law office to 4858 Broadway, Gary, IN  46401. Phone (219) 887-2626. Fax (219) 887-2829.

-----

         Alissa F. Resop has relocated her practice to the law firm of Beckman, Kelly & Smith, 5920 Hohman Avenue, Hammond, IN 46320.  Phone 933-6200 – fax 933-6201.

-----

         Trial Lawyer, Duke T. Escue is no longer affiliated with State Farm Litigation Counsel.  He is entering private practice with Walter J. Alvarez.  Phone (219) 662-6400.  Fax (219) 662-6410. Mailing address is now: 1524 West 96^th Avenue, Crown Point, IN  46307.

-----

         For all correspondence of Atty. Laura Bottando, please send to P.O. Box 278, Hobart, IN  46342.  Phone (219) 742-2683. Thank You.

-----

         Atty. Paul D. Stanko updated information was not included in the 2005 directory, please notate the changes accordingly; 10971 Four Seasons Place, Suite 213, Crown Point, IN  46307. Phone (219) 226-0137.  Fax (219) 662-6924.  Toll-Free: 1-888-PSTANKO.  E-mail: paulstanko@lawyer.com. 

-----

         Thomas K. Hoffman & Robert E. Stochel has a new address of One Professional Center, Suite 306, Crown Point, IN  46307.  Phone and Fax numbers remain the same: (219) 662-0165 and (219) 662-2151, respectively.

-----

         Lucretia A. Thornton, Attorney/Nurse, has joined the law firm of Hoeppner Wagner & Evans at its Merrillville location of Twin Towers, Suite 606 South Tower, 1000 East 80^th Place, Merrillville, IN. Phone (219) 769-6552. Fax (219) 738-2349.

-----

         Janice R. Gambill has relocated her office to 6183 Central Avenue, Portage, IN  46368.  Phone (219) 763-6003.  Fax (219) 763-6044. E-mail janicergambill@aol.com.

-----

         Thomas C. Higgins is (219) 756-7408, please make this correction to your directory, on page 40.  

LCBA SCHOLARSHIP
APPLICATIONS

         Lake County Bar Association’s 4^th Annual Scholarship applications are now available.   You can either pickup an application from the LCBA office or send a self addressed, stamped envelope to: LCBA, 2293 North Main Street, Crown Point, IN 46307, and an application will be mailed to you.  We are also in the process of having them put on the LCBA Web site (Click here.).

         Applications have also been sent to all of the Indiana Law Schools.  The applications can be picked up in the Financial Aid Department of the law schools.

         Last year we were please to give our third scholarship to two deserving law students – Christie Lynn Bodnar and Jaclyn Marie Palos who each received an award of $2,500.00 to be applied towards their law school tuition.

         Scholarships shall be credited only towards tuition costs at an accredited law school located anywhere in Indiana and will be paid directly to the law school.

         Academic performance shall be the primary criteria, however; involvement in quality extra-curricular activities and community involvement shall be considered.

         Application must be received by June 1, 2005 (received by, not postmarked by) in order to be considered for this year’s award.

FROM THE DESK OF THE
CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Why are office supply stores out of green paper?

        We all know court records in Indiana have been presumed to be open for public access except for those deemed confidential. The whole idea is that both government and public interest are better served when records are open for public inspection.

        Effective at the beginning of this year, a lot of issues arose surrounding changes to Administrative Rule 9 (which we call “The Rule”) – perhaps the most frustrating of which is the requirement to use “green paper” when filing certain court documents.

A quick summary:

¨       The Rule was formally adopted on February 25, 2004 to take effect January 1, 2005 (All NEW case filings and public access requests must comply with The Rule beginning January 1, 2005).

¨       The Rule assures records are publicly accessible unless they are explicitly excluded from access.

¨       The Rule assures full public access to court records while protecting privacy interests.

¨       The rule governs confidentiality and access issues for both administrative and case records in all Indiana courts.

¨       The rule and green paper:

o        In instances where a court order contains non-public information, the full order should be produced on green paper for inclusion in the non-public case file and a redacted copy made available for general public access.

o        In instances where a court order contains non-public information, the full order should be produced on green paper for inclusion in the non-public case file and a redacted copy made available for general public access.

        Most importantly, we acknowledge that we are all in a trial and error period. The clerk’s office will strive to help in any way possible as we move through these “uncharted waters” with all of you. Keep in mind that questions pertaining to Administrative Rule 9, public access, or confidentiality issues may be directed to the Division of State Court Administration at (317) 232-2542 or its website at http://www.in.gov/judiciary.

        In the meantime, you might want to stock up on light green paper. It seems to be at a premium since last January!

Clerk Thomas R. Philpot

Presents

A Live 3 Hour Ethics CLE

Golf

             &             

“Ethics”

Magistrate Christina J. Miller, Chair

Friday, May 20, 2005

At White Hawk Country Club 
10001 White Hawk Dr. 
Crown Point

(Main St. south to Summit, turn west and drive about 2 miles
and turn right into White Hawk Sub Division)

Registration begins at 8:00 a.m.

Cost is $100.00 for LCBA members - $170.00 Seminar & Golf

**********

$150.00 for non-members - $250.00 Seminar & Golf

(Lunch included)

 

Speakers

Donald R. Lundberg, Disciplinary Commission, Executive Secretary

Marce Gonzalez, Jr., Lake County Attorney

Christina J. Miller, Magistrate Lake County Circuit Court, Civil Division

 

(Topics to be announced at a later date)

                                                                                                                                                             

Please fill out the registration form and return it with your payment to:                            

Lake County Bar Association, 2293 North Main Street, Crown Point, IN  46307

Make check payable to Lake County Bar Association

 

Name __________________________________________________________________

Firm ___________________________________________________________________

Address ________________________________________________________________

City _________________________________ State _______ Zip Code _____________

Amount enclosed $____________ Lunch ____Yes ____No  Attorney ID#__________

 

 

GLENN PETERS
LAW SCHOLARSHIP

       Bank Calumet is accepting applications for the Glenn Peters Law Scholarship.  The scholarship is limited to law students who reside in the northern District of Indiana.  The Northern Indiana District includes the following counties:  Adams, Allen, Benton, Blackford, Carroll, Cass, DeKalb, Elkhart, Fulton, Grant, Huntington, Jasper, Jay, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Noble, Porter, St. Joseph, Starke-Pulaski, Steuben, Tippecanoe, Wabash, Warren, Wells, White, and Whitley.

       Applications can be obtained from Bank Calumet.  If you need additional information concerning the scholarship, please contact Bank Calumet at 219/853-2115.  The application deadline is June 1, 2005.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

LIVE CLE/GOLF

             &             

       The Lake County Bar Association will present a three (3) hour Ethics Seminar on Friday, May 20, 2005 at the White Hawk Country Club.  Lunch will follow immediately after the seminar. For the golfers, be prepared to tee off at 1:00 p.m.

         Keep an eye on the newsletter for registration information and additional details as the date gets closer.  The seminar is chaired by Magistrate Christina Miller of the Lake County Circuit Court.

         A flier is included in this newsletter.  Please fill out the form and mail it, along with you payment, to the Lake County Bar Association, 2293 North Main Street, Crown Point, IN.  We need to get a count for the Golf portion as well as the seminar portion of this seminar.

 

REPORT ON JURY DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE LAKE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT FROM JANUARY 2003 TO JANUARY 2005

Gender:  Most of the juries in the court had seven jurors.  If this holds true, the average jury would consist of 4 women and 3 men.  General statistics of population for Lake County have the gender breakdown at 52% women and 48% men.  Based on this, there seems to be some other external factor as to why women are exceeding their proportion of the population in serving as jurors.  Possible avenues of explanation include attorney strategies during the jury selection process and differences in the proportion of men and women who are registered to vote.

Race: Caucasians make up 69% of jurors, while they make up 72% of the population of Lake County.  African Americans make up 20% of jurors and 25% of the general population.  Asian Americans make up less than 1% of jurors and .9% of the general population.  Hispanics make up 4% of the jurors and 13% of the general population.  The main observation from these statistics is that while the percentage serving as jurors corresponds closely to the percentage in the general population for Caucasians, African Americans, and Asian Americans, there is a significant disparity in that relation among Hispanics.  The number might change based on the race of those jurors who were unidentified, but possible avenues of explanation for the disparity again include attorney strategies during jury selection as well as the percentage of each race in registering to vote.

Age: The age information clearly shows that individuals in their 40s and 50s make up a substantial part of jurors, a combined 63%.  The majority, of the population, of Lake County, are between the ages of 25 and 64, which corresponds to the majority of the jurors.  A reasonable assumption would be that this proportional disparity between the age groups would also be reflected in voter registration records.

Occupation: The obvious observation is that most jurors’ occupation is not recorded by the court during the jury service.  From those identified, there seems to be a decent balance between different types of professions.  The unemployed category, it should be noted, includes those who are unemployed by choice, i.e. retired individuals or stay at home parents.

Deferral Information: There were 209 individuals who served as jurors in Lake County Circuit Court from January 2003 and January 2005.  72 individuals received deferrals at this time.  Taken together this is 281 individuals who would have served, with about a quarter of those seeking and receiving deferrals.

Jury Question:  Within the time period, jurors asked 376 questions, and 284 were allowed to be asked by the Court and the attorneys in the respective trials.  Accordingly, about ¾ of all questions were answered. 

Jury Verdicts:  While half of the verdicts were not identified, 80% of those that were identified were in favor of the plaintiff.  This does not necessarily mean that the jurors are favoring the plaintiff in these cases.  Many times the verdict for the plaintiff, depending on the sum of money awarded, is really more of a victory for the defendant.

Jury Verdict Plaintiff Awards:  The awards show a pretty good range for the awards, with the lowest being just above $5,000 and the largest being above $1,000.00.  The Average is inflated somewhat by the million dollar judgment.  The majority of all judgments reported are below $50,000.

ATTENTION SOFTBALL PLAYERS!

         The Lake County Bar Association Circuit Riders ride again!  If you are interested in playing softball this summer, (men’s or coed), please contact Frank Martinez at 923-9922.

GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE REPORT

         The following are stats reported by the Grievance Committee Chair Donald Levinson for the month of March, 2005:

         51 complaint forms mailed out

         3 new referrals to the Commission

         9 cases disposed of

         7 active cases

CRIMINAL CORNER

Jim Foster, Chair

        The April meeting, as always, was the first Wednesday in the month and the May meeting is scheduled as follows:

Wednesday, May 4, 2005         Andorra         5:15 p.m.

        We were pleased, in April, to be joined by First Assistant Peter Villarreal.  The Press Conference, on the Hobart-shooting case, prevented attendance by Prosecuting Attorney Bernard Carter and First Deputy Barbara McConnell.   We appreciate Pete's efforts under these circumstances.

        We hope this will be the beginning of a regular practice for dialogue/sharing between the prosecution/defense.  The role of prosecution/defense is and will remain adversarial.  This is not only appropriate but a necessary part of the adversarial-system.  It is further the case that ongoing dialogue should prove beneficial for several reasons including (A) areas of common interest (B) areas of mutual convenience and, perhaps most important (C) attempts to foster civility.  Sports analogies can get tiresome but I still think it well expressed when it was noted that a trial, is like a basketball game when, during the contest, elbows will get thrown and one may get "miffed" but, at the end of the event, if you are not big-enough to shake hands you were not big-enough to be in the game.  Adversary means competition not vendetta and, if it becomes personal, one or other of the participants is 'off-base'. 

        That being said, our first formal prosecution/defense gathering, following the bench-bar of last year, was refreshing. We touched upon several issues and will search for common ground in the next few weeks.  Our discussions were open about several topics including the following:

1. Initially, it need be said, that both sides indicated that they would consider flexibility on every topic that was discussed.  In short, there was no subject discussed about which either party said they would have to be rigid. 

2. One subject was easier than all the rest.  It appears the defense and prosecution will be in total agreement about the present efforts to remove the retention vote, for Court of Appeals Judges, from the general election to the Senate.  It would not be wise, in our opinion, for any judge, on the Court of Appeals to be in jeopardy, of removal, if 60% of the senators decided that Judge should go.  I chatted, passingly, with President Jeffirs, last week, who I think may have more to say about the subject in his message.

3.  Various other topics will be subject of ongoing dialogue to search for common-ground. These include, for example, such diverse subjects as bonding practices, some OWI dispositions and whether there is a solution (presenting peaceful coexistence) for the defense position that the current law requires submission of all witnesses’ addresses and the prosecutors wish to honor the request, of various witnesses, to keep such secret from the defendant.

        I feel such on-going dialogue can only be beneficial to both sides.  I hope it becomes a regular and standard part of the practice of law, in the Criminal Courts arena.

FAMILIES & DIVORCE:
WORKING IT OUT

         Families and Divorce is a mandatory 4 hour class informing parents of ways to help their children through the divorcing process.  Learn practical communication strategies so that both parents can stay involved in the child’s life.  This class fulfills the court order requiring that both parents attend a class within 60 days of filing for a marriage dissolution or separation proceeding in Lake Superior Court involving any child or children under the age of 18.  Attend one class, from 6-10 p.m., cost $50 per person.  Schedule for 2005:

Southlake location               Tri-City location

8553 Taft St.                          3903 Indianapolis Blvd.

Merrillville, IN                       East Chicago, IN

(219) 736-4523                       (219) 392-6011

 

Wed. 5/4 SL 6:00 pm              Thurs. 5/19 TC 6:00 pm

Wed. 6/8 SL 6:00 pm              Thurs. 6/23 TC 6:00 pm

Wed. 7/6 SL 6:00 pm              Thurs. 7/28 TC 6:00 pm

Wed. 8/10 SL 6:00 pm            Thurs. 8/25 TC 6:00 pm

Wed. 9/7 SL 6:00 pm              Thurs. 9/22 TC 6:00 pm

Wed. 10/5 SL 6:00 pm            Thurs. 10/20 TC 6:00 pm

Wed 11/2 SL 6:00 pm             Thurs. 11/17 TC 6:00 pm

Wed 12/7 SL 6:00 pm             Thurs. 12/15 TC 6:00 pm

    LCBA  REFERRAL SYSTEM

 

        The referral system is open to any LCBA member who has been in practice at least 3 years. Any member can sign up in as many areas as they are interested in accepting referrals.  The cost is $50 for referral registration and $25 for each area of law listed.  A caller is given the first three names and phone numbers in an area.  The cards are marked, indi­cating each time the name was given.  The first card is moved to the end of the list.  The areas of prac­tice, the number of attorneys partici­pating in that area and the number of referrals are listed below.  There were 393 referrals given in the month of March.  There have been 1308 referrals given 2005.  

The 2004 panel’s membership has expired and the new panel has been put in place of 2005.  If you are interested in becoming a referral panel member, please fill out and return the form that’s located in this newsletter.

* Areas in which we are either short or have no panelist representation.  Please look over the form included in this newsletter, make your selections and return with payment to the Lake County Bar Association, 2293 North Main Street, Crown Point, IN 46307.

LAKE COUNTY
DOMESTIC RELATIONS COUNSELING BUREAU

WHAT THE BUREAU CAN DO FOR YOU:

The Bureau can link you with the following resources for services on a low sliding-scale basis:

If you and your lawyer have filed pleadings and are court-referred:

 

If you are not court-referred but are still seeking services:

 

The Bureau Also Provides:

     a. a safe environment for clergy to counsel

         congregation members,

     b. free parenting classes,

     c. post-decree conflict services,

     d. support group services

How Bureau Services Get Provided:

      • Court ordered

      • Referred by any other sources…even

         yourself

To Get Bureau Services:

     1. Call the Bureau (755-3683).

     2. If you are court-ordered provide us with

         your attorney’s name.

     3. Interview with Bureau by phone or in

         person to determine a choice of referrals

         which best suit your needs.

     4. Contact referrals and follow

         recommendations.

Convenient Location

     1. Lake County Government Center in Crown

         Point

 

LAKE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION’S 2005
REFERRAL REGISTRATION FORM

Agreement

I hereby certify to the Lawyers Referral Program of the Lake County Bar Association that:

1.       I will comply with the rules for participation in this program.

2.       I will maintain a current membership status to the LCBA.

3.       I understand that I must be licensed and practicing in the State of Indiana for at least three (3) years

4.       I understand that there is a $50.00 panel fee to participate in the Referral Program; and a $25.00 listing fee for each area in which I chose to participate (from the categories below).

5.       I will reimburse the LCBA $25.00 for each fee generating case I accept from the referral program

         (Attorneys not in compliance will be removed from the panel).

6.       I understand that if I do not accept employment of a prospective client sent by the LCBA’s Referral Program, I may not refer the caller to another attorney without the prior consent of the LCBA.

7.       I understand that the clients are given names and phone numbers on a rotation basis according to the area of law that they require assistance in and that at no time will the attorney be referred based on location, race, gender nor religion.

8.       I have read and I am familiar with the Rules for Referral Program participation.

9.       Upon signing this Agreement, I am fully knowledgeable and aware of its contents. I represent that all statements contained herein are true.  I agree to abide by this Application and Agreement.

Date _________________      Signature ________________________________________________

Phone # ________________   Print Name _______________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________ City _________________________

INDICATE THE AREAS YOU DESIRE TO BE LISTED

I have listed _____ areas and enclosed $_________

*No registration fee for these categories.  List foreign language you speak fluently.  List other States you are licensed in.

2005 BOARD OF MANAGERS MEETING

        The LCBA Board of Managers meets this year on the third Wednesday of each month.  We are attempting to rotate our meeting locations throughout the year to various places in the county. The meetings are open to every LCBA member.

        The gathering is at 5:30 PM.  The meeting will begin at 6:00 PM and conclude by no later than 7:30 PM (except in extraordinary circumstances.)

DATE