The Indiana Supreme Court has endorsed 15 recommendations aimed at improving Indiana’s ongoing lawyer shortage after a year-long study by the Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future.
The commission submitted its final report June 30. The state Supreme Court released its recommendations with specific direction on Wednesday. The report included many of the commission’s suggestions.
The American Bar Association said Indiana ranks in the bottom 10 nationally with only 2.3 attorneys per 1,000 residents.
Among the high court’s recommendations is the establishment of a Public Service Pathway Pilot Task Force to stem the shortage of public defenders and prosecutors.
The task force would include experienced attorneys in areas of high legal needs and representatives from a legal service group, prosecuting attorneys, the Indiana Department of Child Services, and Indiana’s three law schools.
Overseen by the Office of Judicial Administration, the task force would provide detailed parameters for a public service pathway pilot for law licensure, including rule changes, for implementation in 2027.
Another recommendation directs the OJA to collaborate with the Indiana Bar Association to weigh consolidation of loan repayment programs proposed in the commission’s report.
The state high court also directed the OJA’s communications, education and outreach office to work with the Indiana State Bar Association, the Indiana Judicial Conference and other stakeholders to collaborate on initiatives to promote the importance of legal education.
Another recommendation included the creation of undergraduate law school pipelines.
When Valparaiso University’s School of Law closed in 2020 because of enrollment and financial struggles, it led to a local shortage of attorneys.
Many students who earned VU law degrees remained in Northwest Indiana to practice law.
Data compiled by the Indiana Public Defender Commission in 2022 showed 47% of VU law grads practiced in Indiana, the state’s second-highest behind the IU McKinney School of Law’s 88%.
State Rep. Earl Harris, D-East Chicago, hoped the state would establish another law school in Northwest Indiana to fill the void after VU’s law closed.
His proposed bill for a study committee on the issue failed to receive a hearing this year.
Crown Point attorney Michael Jasaitis, immediate past president of the Indiana State Bar Association, hailed the recommendations.
He was also a member of the Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future.
He said his views, however, were his own.
“It’s encouraging to see the Supreme Court adopt recommendations that directly align with the ISBA’s Attorney Shortage Plan and the proposals of the Commission.
“Both the Commission’s work and the ISBA’s member-driven plan recognized that solving Indiana’s legal services shortage would require innovation across education, practice models, and professional support systems.
“This coordinated approach between the Court and our Bar gives me confidence that we’re crafting solutions to enhance the future of our profession and ensure that all Hoosiers have access to justice.”
To read the Supreme Court’s order, visit https://www.in.gov/courts/files/order-other-2025-25S-MS-288.pdf.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
