INSession

The past decade has seen enormous change in the Indiana Courts. From the advancement of problem-solving courts and the advent of electronic filing to solving Indiana’s attorney shortage, the push has been on to improve the return on Hoosiers’ investment in the courts. Those advances have been championed and in many cases, driven by, the Indiana Supreme Court. What’s been behind this drive to make the courts better? What’s next? On this episode of INSession, we’ll find out. We are talking to Indiana’s Chief Justice, the Honorable Loretta Rush about the past, present and future of the Indiana judiciary. Our wide-ranging conversation covers civics and transparency, trust in public institutions, the value of mercy in criminal justice, the future of artificial intelligence in the courts and many more interesting topics.

There are public servants. And there are GREAT public servants. The difference is measured in how they use their time and talents. Allen Superior Court Judge David Avery is one of those great public servants. For the past 24 years, he has served as not only as a judge, but as an ally for people in Allen County, Indiana, most in need of help and hope, all without fanfare or attention. He's retiring at the end of 2024, so we thought it was time to introduce you to him - even though he's been hard at work in the civl courts for years. On this episode of INSession we're talking to Judge Avery, reflecting on his years of service and offering words of advice for the next generation of lawyers and judges.

When people seek help at the Allen County Courthouse, it doesn’t always come from a courtroom or involve an attorney. Do you need to file or get a copy of a court case? Do you need to pay a traffic ticket? Maybe your wedding day is coming up and you need a marriage license. Even Allen County’s elections are run by the same, versatile and well-respected community resource. It’s the Allen County Clerk of the Courts, a hub of information and public service. On this episode of INSession, we’re exploring the Clerk’s Office and learning more about the many important services it delivers.

Twenty thousand times each year, people from all walks of life come to the same place to settle disputes. Their disagreements are over serious issues, from unpaid neighborhood dues and home repairs to protective orders and evictions. But they come to one place to get resolved, where every citizen can bring a legal action, without having to hire a lawyer. It’s Allen County’s Small Claims Court, one of the busiest and most innovative courts of its kind anywhere. On this episode of INSession we’re talking about Small Claims Court – how it works, what litigants can accomplish there and how to be ready when your day in court arrives.

Hundreds of times each year in Allen County, people have their driving privileges suspended. That suspension can come for a variety of reasons, from being convicted of a crime to being behind on child support to failing to pay car insurance. But the result is the same. That driver – at least temporarily – cannot legally operate a motor vehicle. In some cases, though, a limited lifeline might be available for suspended drivers who still need to do the essentials of life while those legal problems work their way through the process. On this episode of INSession we’re talking about Specialized Driving Privileges: Who’s eligible, how to apply and what it all means. On this episode, we mention several helpful website links. Those include: https://www.indianalegalservices.org, https://indianalegalhelp.org, https://www.allencountybar.org/legal-line/ and https://www.in.gov/bmv/

Opportunity. It’s something everyone needs at the start of their career, yet often proves hard to find. But in Allen Superior Court, opportunities abound for recent law school graduates looking for a leg up as they begin their professional lives. Applications are now open for Superior Court’s Civil Division law clerk program. It’s a rare opportunity for aspiring attorneys to see it all and gain world-class experience. Alumni of this program are working at all levels of the law – and you or someone you know could be next. On this episode of INSession, we’re talking about being a Law Clerk in the Allen Superior Court. Opportunity awaits.

It’s a truth as sure as the certainty of death and taxes: If results are the goal, complex challenges demand innovative ideas. Allen Superior Court is taking on the challenge of an especially complex issue – family domestic violence – through the launch of a new problem-solving court, the first of its kind in Indiana. The new court has a dual mission of helping survivors of domestic violence build safe and healthy families and of helping break the cycle of violence that often spreads from generation to generation. It’s hard to acknowledge being a victim of domestic violence or being the one who committed that act. It can be even harder to ask for help. But when that day comes, Allen Superior Court’s Family Domestic Violence Court is there to help. In this two-part episode of INSession, we take a look at Allen Superior Courts Family Domestic Violence Court, helping heal families in our community.

It’s a truth as sure as the certainty of death and taxes: If results are the goal, complex challenges demand innovative ideas. Allen Superior Court is taking on the challenge of an especially complex issue – family domestic violence – through the launch of a new problem-solving court, the first of its kind in Indiana. The new court has a dual mission of helping survivors of domestic violence build safe and healthy families and helping break the cycle of violence that often spreads from generation to generation. It’s hard to acknowledge being a victim of domestic violence or being the one who committed that act. It can be even harder to ask for help. But when that day comes, Allen Superior Court’s Family Domestic Violence Court is there to help. On this two-part episode of INSession, we take a look at Allen Superior Courts Family Domestic Violence Court, helping heal families in our community.

On one of the first episodes of INSession, we profiled Allen Superior Court’s Family Recovery Court (FRC). It’s among the newest problem-solving courts in Allen County, Indiana, providing help to families that saves lives, families and futures. Family Recovery Court tackles a complex mission by offering specialized help and treatment to families and caregivers who find themselves in court to address abuse and neglect cases rooted in substance abuse. In Court, clients have a network of support, the likes of which many of them have never experienced at their fingertips. But outside the courtroom, FRC clients can face a barrage of temptations and exposures to drugs and alcohol that threaten their recovery. On this episode, we’re talking about the safety net of resources that those dealing with addictions can tap into AFTER the gavel falls.

At the heart of many child abuse and neglect cases that come before the Allen County Courts is someone truly special. It's someone who partners with the child, their caregivers, teachers, therapists and important people in their lives to make sure the child’s needs are being represented in court. Throughout a case, attorneys speak for the adults. But hundreds of times a year, it’s a Court Appointed Special Advocate – a CASA volunteer – who stands up for the child. On this episode of INSession, we’re talking about Allen County’s CASA program and the volunteer advocates who make its mission possible. For more information on the Allen County CASA program. call (260) 449-7190, visit www.allencountycasa.org or email Cindy.verduce@allensuperiorcourt.us.

Allen Superior Court’s Family Division is trying something new these days. It’s an initiative meant to open the doors to the courtroom to the people their hearings as so often about – kids. Now, it’s possible for children 14 and older to be in the courtroom to take part in important family court conversations that can have lasting impacts on themselves and their families. On this episode of INSession are the key players who came up with and turned into reality the idea that young people should have their voices heard in the courtroom.

The chance to rethink the basics of criminal justice doesn’t come along very often. In 2016, just such an opportunity presented itself to Allen Superior Court. It was a chance to rethink who should be in the Allen County Jail while awaiting trial, and who could be trusted to remain free – and to come back when their day in court arrived. The results have been astonishing. Millions of taxpayer dollars saved while keeping thousands of low-risk defendants free – safely and successfully – as they await resolution of their cases. On this episode of INSession, we’re talking about Indiana’s Criminal Rule 26, and the fundamental way it’s changed how bail works in the State of Indiana.

It is perhaps the most personal business families and individuals ever have to attend to: Managing a loved one’s interests and assets after they pass away or become incapacitated. Most people don’t know it until they day the need to. But the Allen County Courts have a role in making sure the best interests of those involved are handled with competence, care and compassion. Hundreds of times each year, people have to come to court (often for the first time) to deal with these complex issues. On this episode of INSession we’re talking to Allen Superior Court Magistrate Phil Houk about the role of the Courts in wills, estates and guardianships.

For most people, it’s a moment that arrives someday, whether we want it to or not. And for most, if not all of us, it’s an intimidating moment filled with questions and doubt. It’s hard to even know how to take the first steps – or even what those steps might be – when you have to go to court. On this episode of InSession we’re talking about resources available in Allen County, Indiana, to people struggling to understand the legal process and struggling to afford the legal assistance they might need. (For more information on legal aid resources available in Allen County, visit https://www.allencountybar.org/legal-links/)

If you think about it, the Indiana Courts are a real-world, hands-on lesson in civics. So much of what goes on in the courtroom ties directly back to Constitutional rights, our responsibilities as citizens and the role of government in our lives. Thanks to the Indiana Court of Appeals, you don’t always have to visit a classroom - or a courtroom – to get a taste of civics education. On this episode, we talking about Appeals On Wheels, delivering lessons in the role of the courts across the State of Indiana. (For more information on Appeals on Wheels, visit https://www.in.gov/courts/appeals/arguments/appeals-on-wheels/)

The stigma associated with mental health, with talking about it, understanding it and asking for help when we need it, has started to fall away. Isn’t gone by any means, but the door is definitely ajar. Yet in moments of crisis, it is still hard to know where to turn to get help for yourself or for a loved one in the most urgent of circumstances. On this episode of INSession, we’re talking and Allen Superior Court’s role in crisis intervention about the mental health resources waiting to help.

For 25 years, Allen Superior Court’s Drug Court program has fought alongside people from all walks of life in their personal battles with substance abuse and addiction. In the years since it began, Drug Court has graduated more than a thousand people – and touched the lives of untold thousands more. The program saves lives and changes lives across all socio-economic lines every day. On this episode, we talk to the team behind Allen County Drug Court about the work they do to offer fresh starts and the opportunity to rebuild lives, careers and families.

In the business of government, including the Courts, the primary export is service. When you don’t make or sell things, the “product” is creating the most efficient way possible of accomplishing the people’s business. Innovation is the often the only way to make that product better. Allen Superior Court is home to one such innovation that has changed the face of commercial litigation in Indiana. On this episode of INSession, we're talking to Allen Superior Court Judge Craig Bobay about the Commercial Courts of Indiana.

Allen Superior Court has returned $1.4 million to former property owners who lost homes to foreclosure, or to their heirs. Property owners might be unaware that, in recent years, some Sheriff's Sales have yielded more money than a financial institution was owed on the foreclosed property.

In Allen County, problem solving courts are saving lives and families every day. They do it by addressing the root causes of why people wind up in the criminal justice system. In this episode, we introduce Superior Court's newest problem solving court, the Family Recovery Court.