Promoting Civility and Professionalism in the Courtroom [Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of four articles from the Ethics and Professionalism Committee of the Indiana Judicial Conference. The author thanks and acknowledges the contributions of those who attended the session at the September 2010 Judicial Conference in Indianapolis and contributed to the “Best Practices” suggestions related here.] What sho … [Read more...] about Best Practices with “Rambo” Attorneys
Features
Local Court Rules: Mission Accomplished?
A Look Back In his 2005 State of the Judiciary speech, Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard reported: “For most of Indiana history, we communicated largely by tacking rules up on courthouse bulletin boards. But beginning this year rules adopted for the operation of local courts will be posted on the Internet and follow a uniform format so that citizens and lawyers who travel outside their home counties can have a f … [Read more...] about Local Court Rules: Mission Accomplished?
New Rule Amendment Requirements
Affidavit of Debt in Every Case Based on Account and Waiver of Excess Claims in Certain Instances Effective January 1, 2011, the Indiana Supreme Court amended Trial Rule 9.2 and Small Claims Rule 2 to requiring parties to file an Affidavit of Debt if the case is based on an account. Under Trial Rule 9.2(A) and Small Claim Rule 2(B), a party must include an Affidavit of Debt when filing a pleading founded on an … [Read more...] about New Rule Amendment Requirements
Mortgage Foreclosure
Robo-Signing and Settlement Conferences Among Issues Addressed in Recently Published Best Practices Guide In mid-October 2010, media swarmed with news that some of the country’s largest mortgage lenders had engaged in the “robo-signing” of foreclosure documents. Several employees of national lenders such as Chase and Wells Fargo admitted to signing as many as 10,000 documents a month, often without reading the docum … [Read more...] about Mortgage Foreclosure
Moving the Appellate Court Case Management System into the Twenty-First Century
Information technology offers exciting opportunities for courts to enhance staff productivity while expanding the services offered to their constituents. Indiana’s appellate courts are exploring ways to improve the appellate process by updating the related technology. The current Appellate Case Management System has been in-place since the mid-1980s. If the system could breathe, it would be old enough to drive, vot … [Read more...] about Moving the Appellate Court Case Management System into the Twenty-First Century