IndyBar Podcasts

Off the Record is back for 2021, and we're welcoming some new faces to the team! Join us as we meet three new hosts who will help bring even more stories of Indy's lawyers to life: Kerry Hyatt Bennett of the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Bianca Black of Littler Mendelson PC and Eric Schmadeke of Densborn Blachly LLP. Show Notes: OnyxFest Who the Bleep Did I Marry (subscrip...

Winfield Ong is an experienced federal litigator and the former criminal chief for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana. In addition, he is a President Obama judicial nominee for the U.S. District Court, and he is a current white collar criminal defense attorney at Dentons Bingham Greenebaum.  During this interview, the main topics of discussion were Winfield's...

The death of George Floyd has sparked outrage across the country and brought the many issues surrounding systemic racism to the forefront. Our community is no exception. Difficult conversations are starting to happen, and amid the protests, anger and tears, many have questioned what they can do to help. In this special episode of Off the Record, host James Bell talks with two Indiana bar leaders,...

Roger Penske assumed ownership of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in January 2020. Just three months later, the greatest spectacle in racing was rescheduled from May to August amid this unprecedented public health crisis. Writer Tom Chiarella talks about a recent interview with Penske, plus his own personal experience with the COVID-19 pandemic during this episode of Off the Record with James Bell...

Before he took his seat on the Marion Superior Court bench, Judge PJ Dietrick had a decidedly different career as a minor league baseball player. Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 6th round of the 1984 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, Judge Dietrick made his way from Medford, Oregon to Tacoma, Washington (with a few stops along the way) as he chased his baseball dreams. Join us as host J...

Thanks to the wonders of technology, we're bringing you new episodes of Off the Record with James Bell during this time of isolation and social distancing. In this episode, James talks with Judge Marc Rothenberg of Marion Superior Court.

Enjoy one of our favorite episodes of Off the Record, where host James Bell talks with Monica Foster of the Indiana Federal Community Defenders about arguing at the U.S. Supreme Court, her experience defending 15-year-old death who was sentenced to death, the Buffalo Bills and more.  Plus, enjoy a brand new intro that explores a question every attorney has pondered: would a Hufflepuff make a good...

One writer got a chance to follow attorney to the stars and Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz as he prepared for his historic argument against the impeachment of President Donald Trump. That writer was Tom Chiarella, Esquire columnist and Professor Emeritus at DePauw University. In addition to Dershowitz, Chiarella has interviewed and profiled celebrities like Charlize Theron, Liam Nees...

Join us as we chat with America's favorite law school dean, Dean Andy Klein of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Dean Klein shares his path to academia, what's happening in law schools these days and his plans for the future after he steps down as dean later this year. 

It's a new decade for the IndyBar, and leading the association into it is President Andy Campbell, a partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath. In this episode, we talk law firm mergers, political science and life at the University of Montana, work/life balance, what's next for the IndyBar and more.

Tune in for important IndyBar updates and musings on celebrities and second chances. 

A number of notable things happened in 1948. One of them? Indianapolis lawyer Philip "Skip" Kappes passed the bar and became a practicing attorney. Since then, he's lived through countless changes in the profession and in our community. Some things have stayed the same, though. Join us on this episode as we chat with one of Indy's legal legends. 

Female representation on the bench appears to be at an all-time high in Indiana, with women leading the Indiana Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the  U.S. Bankrupcty Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the Indiana Court of Appeals, the Marion Superior Court and more. But where do we stand with women in private practice? Frost Brown Todd Indianapo...

Attendees at the 2019 IndyBar Bench Bar Conference were treated to several sessions presented by one of the nation's foremost experts on cross examination, civil litigation and criminal defense, Larry Pozner. After wrapping up his presentations, Pozner was kind enough to sit down with Off the Record host James Bell to talk about growing up in Indianapolis, the stress of trial work, criminal p...

First Monday is coming, and you know what that means...all eyes will be on the United States Supreme Court as it opens its new term. Brian Paul of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP joins us on this episode of Off the Record with James Bell to provide an update on where the court is and a preview of where it might go in this term. Plus, hear a moving tribute to former Dean Norman Lefstein of th...

For many, the era of Jim Crow laws and the Civil Rights Movement are topics learned in school. Others, like Judge Carr Darden, experienced the struggle for social justice firsthand. On this episode of Off the Record, host James Bell speaks with Judge Darden about his life, his experiences and his words of advice for the future. Judge Darden was named to the Court of Appeals of Indiana by Governor...

Wondering where new episodes of Off the Record with James Bell have been? Never fear! We're taking a little summer break but will be back with brand new episodes this fall. We've already got four episodes recorded and are excited to feature guests from a more diverse range of backgrounds and practice areas. Have an idea for a guest or want to share feedback? Contact our host by email at...

When we last left Rick, he was facing uncertainty about his representation of alleged USS Cole bombing mastermind Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. Get the latest on this stranger-than-fiction story, including a bombshell decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in April 2019, as James Bell talks to Rick again almost a year later. 

In November 2017, Indy lawyer Rick Kammen made headlines when he refused to return to Guantanamo Bay after his request to withdraw from representation of alleged USS Cole bombing mastermind Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri was rescinded. Rick had served as lead defense attorney for Nashiri, who is facing the death penalty, since 2008. Rick's experience in Guantanamo is a tale that includes torture, cl...

Greetings Race Fans! It's May in Indy, and we all have one thing on our minds: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Don't miss this opportunity to meet the man behind the month of May at IMS. We're talking to Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles about his first Indy 500, what it's like to come to work at IMS every day, his experience...

On this episode of Off the Record, we'll talk with Jim Reed, a divorce lawyer, a family lawyer, and a relationship transition lawyer at Dentons Bingham Greenebaum in Indianapolis. Jim has been involved with divorce cases with some of the largest marital estates in Indiana. In this podcast, Jim talks about farming, hairdos, food, how the practice of law has changed over the years, what he lear...

On this episode of Off the Record, we'll talk to Monica Foster of Indiana Federal Community Defenders. A nationally requested expert and lecturer, Monica assumed the leadership of the Indiana Federal Defenders in 2012. She joined the Federal Defender Network following a distinguished career in private practice, providing representation to indigent persons charged with the death penalty, both...