Experts on employee management are divided regarding whether employers should conduct annual performance appraisals of staff. Judging by the show of hands at the recent Judicial College seminar on office management, Indiana’s judiciary is also divided in its use of performance appraisals. The purpose of this article is to succinctly set forth the pros and cons so each court may make its own decision. A substantial … [Read more...] about Performance Appraisals… To Do or Not To Do?
Columns
Clerk Linda Phillips
To most people in Tippecanoe County, Linda Phillips is Clerk Phillips. In her second term as the County Clerk she spends her days issuing marriage licenses, handling election matters and keeping track of the nearly 35,000 new cases filed each year in the county’s seven courts of record. Few people realize Clerk Phillips is also known by the moniker “Sequin Queen!” “It is true, in some circles I am known as the Sequ … [Read more...] about Clerk Linda Phillips
Disciplinary Responsibility of Judges and the Duty to Report Ethical Misconduct
Reporting the professional misconduct of a colleague or contemporary is never an easy task. For many judges, their most difficult duty may be deciding whether to report an ethical violation by another judge or an attorney. But, it also may be their most important. As a day-to-day observer of other judges and attorneys, judges often have the best vantage point to notice patterns of recurring ethical violations, to o … [Read more...] about Disciplinary Responsibility of Judges and the Duty to Report Ethical Misconduct
One Less Obstacle for Abuse Victims Seeking Court Intervention
Victims of violence in Indiana can now file petitions seeking court protection orders electronically from the privacy and safety of a victim advocate’s office or a domestic violence shelter. Over 250 victim advocates in more than 79 counties have been given access and trained to use a new Advocate Access site for the statewide Protection Order Registry (POR). Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds through the Indiana Cr … [Read more...] about One Less Obstacle for Abuse Victims Seeking Court Intervention
Hon. Terry Shewmaker
This is the eighth of our Court Times articles that highlight up close and personal a member of the Indiana Judiciary. Elkhart County Circuit Court Judge Terry C. Shewmaker is our judge featured in this issue. Judge Shewmaker was first elected as Circuit Court Judge in 1998, and re-elected in 2004. He graduated from Indiana State University, cum laude, in 1969, and attended DePaul Law School and Notre Dame Law School … [Read more...] about Hon. Terry Shewmaker