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 practice versus civil practice and much more.

Pozner is the author of "Cross-Examination: Science and Techniques" and focuses his practice on complex civil and criminal litigation—as well as the lecture circuit. He is litigation counsel for the Denver Broncos Football Club.

In the area of complex commercial litigation, Pozner represents both plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving fraud (including healthcare fraud), professional malpractice, breach of contract, litigation against trustees, environmental matters, theft of trade secrets, and copyright and trademark infringement.

In the criminal arena, Pozner began his career as a public defender—and continues his high profile criminal defense work as a private practitioner. In 1998, he was elected president of the 10,000 member National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

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 the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, who passed away on August 29, 2019.

To subscribe to updates on the U.S. Supreme Court from Brian and the team at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, click here. 

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 Evan Bayh in October 1994 and was retained on the Court by election in 1998 and 2008. Prior to his appointment, he served as a presiding judge in the Marion County Superior Court and the Marion County Municipal Court systems. He also served as the Chief Deputy State Public Defender. Judge Darden retired from the Court of Appeals on July 21, 2012 and was appointed as a senior judge by the Indiana Supreme Court on July 24, 2012.

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 [email protected] or tweet him at @jamesjbell.

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, classified information, and CIA Director Gina Haspel.  

Don't miss this inside look at a stranger-than-fiction story involving one of our own IndyBar members. Part 2, to be released on June 18, will delve even deeper into the latest developments on the story.

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 experiences as a racing team owner and in politics, and how he balances being a lawyer AND a promoter. 

Doug Boles was named president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013, having previously served IMS as head of communications. Prior to joining IMS, Boles had been a co-owner of IndyCar team Panther Racing, a lawyer representing racing sponsors, and director of governmental and corporate affairs for former Mayor Steve Goldsmith. 

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 learned from his mentor Jim Buck, and importantly, how to handle clients and how to transition relationships.

Jim has concentrated his practice in the legal aspect of relationship transitions of all types since graduating from law school. He represents many professionals (medical, legal, accounting, financial), business owners and executives, community leaders, high-profile individuals in entertainment, sports and politics, and the spouses/partners of these individuals. Because of his experience and the personal nature of the practice, Jim has helped individuals and families find solutions to complex relationship and legal transitions. His practice includes counseling cohabitating partners in implementing plans for estate transitions, health care decision making, joint ownership and survivorship, as well as representing partners in the conclusion of relationships, custody and support of their children, and the division of property and assets. Jim approaches the representation of his clients with years of diverse experience and from a broad perspective.

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 at trial and on appeal.   

Monica has argued in state and federal courts throughout the country, including the United States Supreme Court.  In private practice, Monica represented the government of Mexico when their nationals were charged with capital or potentially capital crimes in the United States. Monica’s commitment to public service stretches back to her work during law school with the Indiana Public Defender’s Council. Since that time, she has remained dedicated to service of the indigent, a drive that has led her to her new home with the Indiana Federal Community Defender’s office.

When she is not at the office, she is a relentless rescuer of small dogs. And in an effort to bring peace to the Middle East one young Arab boy at a time, she and her husband have hosted foreign exchange students from the Middle East for the past eight years.