The Indiana Lawyer Podcast with Maura Johnson

IBJ Media Podcast Network
IBJ Media Podcast Network
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Navigating the legal world can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. The Indiana Lawyer Podcast is here to help you understand the laws impacting your life, work, and community. Whether you’re a legal professional, a business owner, or someone who wants to know how Indiana law shapes the world around you, this podcast is for you. Hosted by Maura Johnson—a passionate legal reporter—we’re here to bring you clarity and insights like no one else can. This podcast is brought to you by Taft, Today’s Modern Law Firm.

  1. 19h ago

    Purdue Fort Wayne prelaw builds Indiana's legal pipeline

    Purdue Fort Wayne prelaw advising is building a stronger attorney pipeline through personal guidance, internships and ties to rural Indiana firms. Georgia Wralstad Ulmschneider, associate professor and campus prelaw adviser at Purdue Fort Wayne, explains how she built a program designed to stay with students from their first campus conversations through law school and early career decisions. Her approach includes course planning across multiple disciplines, LSAT preparation, personal statements, law school selection, experiential learning and connections with alumni mentors. The conversation focuses on the attorney shortage affecting Fort Wayne, smaller towns and rural communities across northeast Indiana. Ulmschneider describes how undergraduate internships can substitute for the local clinical opportunities that law schools provide in other parts of the state, while also giving firms an early chance to recruit students who may want to return home. She discusses Purdue Fort Wayne's partnership with the Allen County Bar Association and Allen County Bar Foundation, efforts to create a more accessible internship network, and plans to connect students with rural and small-town practices. Ulmschneider also makes the case for broad undergraduate study rather than a narrow prelaw major, arguing that future lawyers benefit from history, finance, communication, logic and analytical training. She explains why smaller communities need both versatile general practitioners and attorneys who understand business law, and why mentorship, shadowing and even a single coffee meeting can strengthen Indiana's legal profession. Host Maura Johnson also asks how attorneys can support students, build recruitment relationships and help young people see a future in the communities they know.

    Purdue Fort Wayne prelaw builds Indiana's legal pipeline

  2. Trailer

    Jim Bopp Jr. on campaign finance, the Supreme Court, and rule of law

    Jim Bopp Jr. has argued 14 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, sued 45 states, and built one of the most unconventional legal careers in American conservative jurisprudence, all from Terre Haute. In this conversation with host Maura Johnson, Bopp traces his path from organizing high school students for Barry Goldwater in 1964 to becoming general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee, a role he has held since 1978. Bopp discusses how his high school and collegiate debate experience shaped his approach to advocacy, why he believes understanding both sides of an argument is essential to sound legal reasoning, and how he structured his firm to prioritize pro bono work over billable hours. He also reflects on two cases that defined his career: a jury trial loss early on that taught him never to accept a client unwilling to fully commit to their own defense, and his 5-4 victory in Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, the first U.S. Supreme Court case to apply the First Amendment to judicial campaign ethics canons. The conversation closes with Bopp's definition of the rule of law, framed as the foundational distinction between governance by pre-established statute and governance by the unchecked will of whoever holds power. Jim Bopp Jr. is a constitutional and election law attorney based in Terre Haute and founder of Bopp Law Firm.

    Jim Bopp Jr. on campaign finance, the Supreme Court, and rule of law

  3. Jun 24

    Ken Falk on his career, the ACLU's work and the rule of law

    Ken Falk has spent decades defending constitutional rights for clients ranging from the KKK to Planned Parenthood, and he makes no apologies for it. As legal director of the ACLU of Indiana, Falk argues that the identity of the client is never the point. The constitutional question is.Falk traces his path from a senior center in Washington Heights to legal services offices in Muncie and Indianapolis, explaining how those early years handling divorces, evictions, and welfare cases taught him things law school never could. He reflects on a career built around class action litigation, First Amendment battles, and cases involving conditions inside Indiana correctional facilities, including a recent $1.2 million settlement on behalf of prisoners held in cells without functioning lights and with broken windows, and sewage flooding the unit.He also addresses the state of the legal profession directly, warning that the rule of law depends entirely on public respect for the judicial process. Lawyers who undermine that respect, win or lose, do damage that extends far beyond any single case. His advice to young attorneys is blunt: have humility, appreciate your clients, and understand that strengthening the system is the most important thing any lawyer can do, regardless of practice area.Falk argues before the Seventh Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court with the same matter-of-fact approach he brings to this conversation. Whether the topic is transgender health care litigation, drug testing of student athletes, or a Klan march in Goshen, his framework stays consistent. The constitutional right either holds for everyone or it holds for no one.

    Ken Falk on his career, the ACLU's work and the rule of law

  4. Jun 10

    Vicky Nunn on leading Ken Nunn Law Office's next chapter

    Vicky Nunn spent 23 years practicing personal injury law alongside her father before stepping into the role of leading one of Indiana's most recognized firms. Now she is carrying forward a legacy built over nearly six decades, with a fourth generation already on the way.Nunn, an attorney at Ken Nunn Law Office in Bloomington, discusses how growing up around her father's cases shaped her approach to client representation, why she changed careers at 36 to attend law school, and what it means to lead a firm of roughly 90 employees, many of whom have been there for decades. She also addresses the challenges of stepping into a role built by a larger-than-life figure, how she is modernizing firm operations, and why she believes Indiana's legal community stands out for its collegiality.Ken Nunn Law Office has tried more personal injury cases in Indiana over the past 26 years than any other firm, and Nunn says the willingness to go to trial is often what secures the best outcome.

    Vicky Nunn on leading Ken Nunn Law Office's next chapter

  5. May 27

    Jim Bopp and Ken Falk on courts, rights, and the rule of law

    Two of Indiana's most consequential constitutional litigators, James Bopp Jr. and Ken Falk, find more common ground than their opposing ideologies might suggest. Recorded live at The Indiana Lawyer's 2026 Leadership in Law breakfast, this conversation covers decades of landmark litigation, the discipline required to pursue long-term legal strategies, and what both attorneys see as a growing threat to judicial independence.Bopp, principal attorney at The Bopp Law Firm PC, describes studying Thurgood Marshall's legal strategy as a model for how sustained litigation can shift constitutional law. Falk, legal director of the ACLU of Indiana, reflects on representing everyone from the KKK to Planned Parenthood and explains why defending clients on both sides of the political aisle is essential to protecting everyone's rights.Moderated by Lesley Weidenbener, editor and assistant publisher of The Indiana Lawyer, the conversation also includes both attorneys addressing the current political climate. Falk warns that public attacks on judges and open questions about compliance with court orders threaten the rule of law itself. Bopp agrees, calling civility and respect for the judicial process essential common ground for a functioning democracy.Both men are recipients of The Indiana Lawyer's 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, given to attorneys with at least 25 years of experience whose impact extends beyond the courtroom.For more on Indiana's legal profession, visit theindianalawyer.com.

    Jim Bopp and Ken Falk on courts, rights, and the rule of law

  6. May 13

    Taylor Swift's voice trademarks and what they mean for AI law

    Taylor Swift recently filed three trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including two sound marks for her speaking voice and one visual mark from her Eras Tour. The filings have drawn widespread attention for what they signal about celebrity IP protection in the age of artificial intelligence.Caitlin Byczko, an intellectual property attorney at Barnes & Thornburg's Indianapolis office, breaks down what Swift's applications are actually requesting, what legal hurdles they face, and why the outcome could set a roadmap for how celebrities, brands, and even everyday people protect themselves from AI-generated deep fakes and unauthorized voice cloning.Biscoe explains the difference between copyright, right of publicity and trademark protection, why sound marks remain rare and legally untested, and how the likelihood-of-confusion standard will determine whether Swift's registrations can hold up against AI platforms. She also addresses the international limitations of U.S. trademark law, the role of platform-level enforcement, and what Tennessee's 2024 right-of-publicity update signals about where state and federal regulation may be headed.For more legal news from Indiana, visit theindianalawyer.com, where you can subscribe to the daily newsletter and browse past podcast episodes.

    Taylor Swift's voice trademarks and what they mean for AI law

  7. Apr 29

    Improv skills that make lawyers better in court and life

    Listening, adaptability and quick thinking aren’t typically taught in law school, but two professionals argue they should be. They say improv training can sharpen courtroom performance, client negotiations and overall well-being. Mike Marbach, founder of Crossroads Comedy in Indianapolis, and Michael Murphy, a clinical law professor at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, created a continuing legal education program built on improv exercises. The course links each exercise to legal practice, covering active listening, the “yes, and” approach to negotiation, emotional authenticity in court and projecting expertise on short notice.They also address a common hurdle for attorneys: dropping a rigid professional persona to fully engage in learning. Murphy, a former trial lawyer and in-house counsel, says improv-based CLEs outperform traditional lecture formats and help lawyers stay present and recover when proceedings go off track.

    Improv skills that make lawyers better in court and life

  8. Apr 15

    Trump's AI legislative framework: What it means for business with Brian McGinnis of Barnes & Thornburg LLP

    The Trump administration's AI legislative framework sets the stage for a federal showdown over who controls artificial intelligence regulation in the United States. Brian McGinnis, a partner at Barnes & Thornburg and co-chair of the firm's data security and privacy law and artificial intelligence practices, breaks down the six pillars of the White House blueprint and what Congress would need to do to turn those priorities into law.McGinnis explains the core tension at the heart of the debate: Whether Washington should set a national standard that preempts state laws, or whether states like Colorado, California, and Texas should retain the authority to impose stricter requirements on AI developers. He draws a direct parallel to the long-running fight over federal privacy legislation, warning that without congressional action, companies face a growing patchwork of conflicting state rules.The conversation also covers the administration's directive to the Department of Justice to push back against state regulators, the relevance of the EU AI Act as a comparative model, and why Colorado's June enforcement deadline is creating immediate pressure for businesses trying to determine what compliance even looks like. McGinnis notes that companies are increasingly turning to frameworks like the NIST AI Risk Management Framework as stand-ins for legislation that does not yet exist.

    Trump's AI legislative framework: What it means for business with Brian McGinnis of Barnes & Thornburg LLP
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About

Navigating the legal world can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. The Indiana Lawyer Podcast is here to help you understand the laws impacting your life, work, and community. Whether you’re a legal professional, a business owner, or someone who wants to know how Indiana law shapes the world around you, this podcast is for you. Hosted by Maura Johnson—a passionate legal reporter—we’re here to bring you clarity and insights like no one else can. This podcast is brought to you by Taft, Today’s Modern Law Firm.

Information

  • Channel
    IBJ Media Podcast Network
  • Creator
    IBJ Media
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    121
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All Rights Reserved

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