Broyles Kight & Ricafort Family Law



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BARRISTER BANTER



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The Official Newsletter of the Hamilton County Bar Association March/April – 2014

Thomas A. Aycock, President ( Jillian Keating, Vice President ( Melanie Reichert, Secretary ( Carl Markovich, Treasurer

In this issue: IndyBar Bench Bar Registration Now Open; HCBA Annual Baseball Outing; Upcoming CLEs; March Madness Lunch (March, 20); Getting to Know Melanie Reichert; Hamilton County Job Opening; and more.

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

2014 All Bar HCBA Luncheons

April 3rd, 11:30 - 1 pm at Janus Developmental Services, Inc.

Janus has a long history of making a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities. Since 1979, Janus programs and services have provided individuals with disabilities the opportunity to hold jobs, develop interpersonal skills, explore new interests and live more independent and fulfilled lives. Janus opens the door to a world of possibilities in Hamilton and surrounding counties.

Janus is located at 1555 Westfield Road in Noblesville. Please join us for a tour of Janus’s facility, a brief overview of their programs and of course, a fabulous lunch. Please RSVP to tmikow@ by Monday, March 31st.

Other Dates –

June 5th, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm at Coots, Henke & Wheeler.

We are pleased to announce that Indiana State Senator Luke Kenley will be speaking to the HCBA at our June 5th meeting.

The event will be held at the offices of Coots, Henke & Wheeler, P.C. located at 255 E. Carmel Dr., Carmel, IN. Refreshments will be provided.

August 7 – (location TBD)

October 2 – (location TBD)

December 4 – (location TBD)

IndyBar Bench Bar Conference –Registration Now Open

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With a "place for every practice," Bench Bar 2014 is truly a can't-miss event featuring speakers, programs, and activities to suit nearly every Central Indiana practitioner. Bench Bar 2014 will be held June 19th – 21st in Cincinnati, Ohio. Visit to view the agenda and to register today.

Annual HCBA Baseball Outing

June 18 – Please mark your calendar for June 18, 2014 for the 16th annual “Baseball has Been Berry Berry Good to Me” Indian’s game and picnic. The picnic starts at noon in the left field picnic area of Victory Field where dogs, burgers and beer will top the menu. The first pitch between our beloved Indians and those dastardly Gwinnett Braves will be hurled at 1:35 at which time the merriment in the left field picnic area will have reached its climax and the HCBA delegation will let out a resounding “HUZZAH!”

Criminal Law CLE - “Perspectives on Probation”

March 26th, 11:30-1:00 in the Jury Assembly Room.

Jeanette Kassebaum and Madonna Wagoner will cover topics on probation including an overview of the department, intake procedures, programs, supervision, violations, PSI reports, and drug court. Participants will also have an opportunity to meet Probation Officers and discuss current programs offered to Defendants in Hamilton County.

Estate Planning CLE – “Shelter from the Gathering Storm”

April 10th, 11:30-1:00 – Jury Assembly Room

[More information to come]

District 6 Access to Justice – Pro Bono Lunches

The next pro bono lunch in Hamilton County will be on Thursday, March 20th, at 12:00 pm in the jury assembly room of the government/judicial center (Noblesville).

District 6 Access to Justice is a program designed to work with local bar associations and to provide resources to help attorneys implement pro bono services in their community. They host local pro bono lunches where pro bono opportunities are introduced for your consideration. If you learn of an opportunity that interests you, you are welcome to consider volunteering. (However, attending the lunch does not obligate you to take a case). The meeting will not last longer than an hour.

Future pro bono lunch dates include:

Thursday, May 22nd

Thursday, August 21st

Thursday, October 16th

Another lunch in conjunction with free CLE, date and information TBA (November)

March Madness Opening Rounds

Tables have been reserved at Cooper’s Still for March 20th (Thursday) from 11 am – 2 pm for people to come watch the opening rounds of games. There will be light appetizers (wings, etc) so people can come have a long lunch close to the courthouse.

GETTING TO KNOW MELANIE REICHERT

Melanie is the current Secretary of the HCBA. She is an attorney at Broyles, Kight, Ricafort, P.C. practicing family law and alternative dispute resolution. She graduated from Millikin University in Decatur, IL in 1994 and from IU McKinney School of Law in 1998. Melanie has been married for 12 years and has 3 children (ages 11, 10, and 6). Her hobbies include reading, running, cheering on the Colts, Pacers and [ahem] The Ohio State Buckeyes (her husband is from Cincinnati and graduated from OSU).

Melanie was kind enough to give the Banter a little bit more insight into her life through an email interview:

BB: If you could practice in any area of law, exclusively, what area would it be? What is it that draws you to that area of law? 

MR: Collaborative law. I love my domestic relations practice, but the grind of the conflict can take its toll.  In collaborative law, attorneys are able to assist families through challenging transitions in a productive and relatively healthy way. Collaborative cases give you the opportunity to provide clients with the tools they will need to move forward, rather than perpetuating the drama of the past.  It also doesn’t hurt that my collection rate for collaborative cases is 100%.

BB: If you weren't an attorney what would you be? 

MR: What wouldn’t I be . . . writer, teacher, sports broadcaster, professional volunteer. I still hope to write one day, and take every opportunity I can to be in front of a classroom.

BB: What is the best advice you have ever been given? 

MR: Don’t take yourself too seriously.

BB: Favorite Hamilton County lunch option? 

MR: My two favorites are technically Marion County (south side of 96th Street) since my office is at Keystone. The runner up is medium hot chicken Pad Thai at Jasmine Thai. The winner: Shewman Burger with tots at Scotty’s Brewhouse.  How can you not love jalapeno, peanut butter, cheese and bacon on a burger?

BB: Cats or Dogs? 

MR: Both. I grew up on a farm, love animals and thought I would be a vet when I was a kid. When I began living by myself, I had two cats as they could handle the long days at the house during college and law school. When my husband and I began living together, he had a bit of a power struggle with one of my cats. We compromised with two Chihuahua mix rescues that are the size of cats.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Notice from the Court – Expungement Petitions

The Court would like to remind everyone that a defendant’s operator’s license number and date of birth must be included in proposed orders submitted with expungement petitions. This information is necessary for the BMV to process the orders.

Job Opening

There is an opening for a part-time Legal Research Attorney in the Circuit Court.  If you are interested, please review the following summary of the position.  More information can be found at hamiltoncounty. (click on Employment Opportunities tab).

POSITION: Part-Time Legal Research Attorney

DEPARTMENT: Circuit Court

WORK SCHEDULE: 20 hours a week

FLSA STATUS: Non-exempt

Hamilton County is an equal opportunity employer and participates in E-Verify.

A Legal Research Attorney ("LRA") for the Circuit Court is responsible for research and preparation of daily and dispositive motions to be heard by the Court.

HCBA Donation to Team Indiana’s Trip to the “We the People” Nationals

The HCBA made a $500 donation to the Fishers High school “We the People” Team who will be representing Indiana at the Nation Finals in Washington, D.C. in April.

"We the People" has been around since 1987 and focuses on teaching students constitutional principles in the hopes of creating a more educated citizenry. The National Finals takes the form of a simulated congressional hearing where groups of students testify as constitutional experts before panels of judges acting as congressional committees. The FHS team qualified by placing first in the Indiana State Finals last December.

HCBA Mock Trial Program

The 14th Annual HCBA Mock Trial Competition concluded on Saturday, February 22, 2014 after several weeks of competition.  Carmel High School was victorious over Noblesville Team A in the Final Round. 

The competition began in mid-January with 5 preliminary rounds that were held on Wednesday evenings at the Judicial Center.  Teams from Fishers, Guerin Catholic, Westfield, Hamilton Heights, Sheridan, HSE, as well as Noblesville and Carmel competed.  The students prepared both sides of the case of The United States of America v. Chase Gold.  In the case, Mr. Gold was accused of doping during the 2012 Olympic time trials.  Students prepared opening and closing statements as well as direct and cross examination questions.  The students playing witness roles also memorized fact sheets for their role. 

Awards were presented to the best witness in each role as well as the best State and Defense attorneys.  The HCBA scholarship was presented to Carmel Senior, Ema Beeler.  Ema plans to further her education in the Washington, D.C. area next fall.

A special thanks to the members of the bar who served as attorney advisors to each team.

Attorney advisors were: Bob Becker, Scott Smith, Rodney Sarkovics, Kevin Klausing, Tom Aycock, Sam Robinson, Dori Newman, Paul Pacior, Jesse Pace, Amanda Glowacki, Theresa Willard, Jill Acklin, Steve Earnhardt.

Also, a big thank you to all the judges and attorneys who served as mock trial judges throughout the competition.

Volunteer judges were: Rick Campbell, Brian Poindexter, Andrew Bloch, David Najjar, Todd Ruetz, Will Greenaway, Scott Wyatt, Ken Sondik, Alicia Adcock, Tim Hixson, Erin Durnell Rachel Ehlich, Andy Huber, Wendy Clar, Melanie Reichart, Caren Pollack, Rebecca Eimerman, Gregg Gordon, Ashley Ulbricht, Rachel Woloshin, Alicia Wanker, Rob Emmerson, Gloria Mitchell, Clarissa Finnell, Gail Goddard, Laura Lauth, Brad Banks.

COMMITTEES AND CONTACTS

HCBA OFFICERS

President: Thomas A. Aycock, aycocklawoffice@

Vice President: Jillian Keating,

jkeating@

Secretary: Melanie Reichert,

mreichert@

Treasurer: Carl Markovich,

cmarkovich@

Administrative Assistant: Tracy Mikowsk tmikow@

Family Law Section: Ryan Cassman; RCassman@

Golf: Bruce Bitner (bittner@); Lee Buckingham; Kevin Klausing

Public Service: Wendy Clar wendyclarlaw@; Cynde Marcus cmarcus@marcus-

Social: Alicia Adcock (aadcock@); Amanda Glowacki (AGlowacki@jhdj-)

FIRM ANNOUNCEMENTS OR NEWS

If you have any news or announcements to share, please contact Kent Perkins at 317-844-4693 or kperkins@.

Please direct additions, comments, and/or corrections to the BARRISTER BANTER to Kent Perkins at kperkins@.

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