TOPIC

This excellent video deals with Leadership ideas and thoughts from a recognized expert in another field who took on a Leadership role and how it relates to what Judges do.  Hon. Margret G. Robb leads a panel consisting of judges and lawyers to discuss Tom Brady’s 7 rules of Leadership.  The panel consists of: Chief Judge  Robert R. Altice, Jr.; Hon Cale J. Bradford;Margaret M. Christensen; and Jenny Buchheit

PRESENTER

Robert R. Altice, Jr., was appointed to the Court by Governor Pence and began serving on Sept. 2, 2015. He earned his B.A. from Miami University, OH; an M.S. in criminal justice administration from the University of Central Missouri; and his law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. Judge Altice was a deputy prosecutor in Jackson County, MO, then focused on medical malpractice defense with a Kansas City firm. He later joined an Indianapolis firm, concentrating on insurance defense. From 1994-2000, Judge Altice prosecuted major felonies for the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, including three years as Chief of the Felony Division. After his 2000 election to the Marion County bench, he presided at more than 250 major felony jury trials and 15 civil jury trials. He was Presiding Judge of the Marion Superior Court from 2009-2011. Judge Altice is a member of the Indiana Judges Association, has served on the Board of Directors of the Judicial Conference of Indiana, and was a member of the Indiana Judicial Conference Community Relations Committee and Civil Bench Book Committee.  He is currently the Chief Judge of the Indiana Court of Appeals.

 

Cale J. Bradford was appointed to the Court on August 1, 2007. He was selected by his colleagues as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals for a three-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2020. He received a B.A. in labor relations and personnel management from Indiana University Bloomington in 1982 and his J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 1986. Judge Bradford served for more than 10 years as Judge of the Marion Superior Court and was twice elected presiding judge. He served as Chief Trial Deputy in the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office for two years, and for five years was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. He engaged in the private practice of law from 1986 to 1991. From 2005 to 2007, Judge Bradford hosted “Off the Bench with Judge Cale Bradford,” a legal commentary program on Marion County’s government access network. He also served on the Judicial Technology and Automation Committee (JTAC), helping to draft the state judiciary’s policies on technology and electronic case management, and is a member of the Indiana Judges Criminal Jury Instructions Committee.

Jenny Buchheit is the leader of the firm’s Appellate Practice Group. She currently focuses her practice on appellate advocacy, class action and multidistrict defense, and business litigation. Jenny represents clients at both the trial and appellate levels in a wide range of business and commercial matters.  She focuses much of her work on defending companies in both state and national putative class actions, including cases relating to Bisphenol-A in baby bottles; lead in children’s products; deprivation of Medicaid benefits; and consumer fraud/breach of contract allegations. Jenny also has experience litigating products liability, construction, and asbestos cases.

Jenny joined Ice Miller in 2006 after graduating summa cum laude from the Syracuse University College of Law, where she was a member of the Syracuse Law Review and the Moot Court Honor Society.  She was also a student law clerk for the Honorable David N. Hurd, United States District Judge for the Northern District of New York. Jenny is a proud graduate of Purdue University.  Jenny was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for her work in appellate law,and she was previously named a Rising Star by Indiana Super Lawyers. She is admitted to practice in Indiana and numerous Circuit Courts of Appeals.

Margret G. Robb, appointed to the Court in July 1998, served as first woman Chief Judge from 2011-2013. She holds a B.S. 1970 and M.S. 1972 from Purdue and a J.D. magna cum laude 1978 from IU McKinney School of Law. She practiced law in Lafayette, was a bankruptcy panel trustee, served on the Indiana Board of Law Examiners, and chaired Gov. Bowen’s Commission on the Status of Women and the ABA law school Accreditation Committee. She chaired many Indiana Supreme Court Task Forces, serves the State, National and local Bar Associations, their Foundations, and the National Association of Women Judges in numerous capacities and currently serves as President of the national Conference of Chief Judges of State Courts of Appeal. Some of her awards include the 2004 Ball State University Woman of Achievement; 2005 Women in the Law Recognition; 2010 IU Alumni President’s Award; 2011 David Hammacher Appellate Practice Section; 2012 Indiana Legislature concurrent resolution; 2014 Indiana Women’s Commission Trailblazer; the 2014 IU McKinney Law School Distinguished Alumni Award, and the 2018 ISBA Litigation Section Judicial Civility award. Judge Robb retired in June 2023 and now serves as a Senior Judge.

Margaret M. Christensen

Meg serves as Dentons Bingham Greenebaum’s General Counsel in Indianapolis. She concentrates her full-time legal practice on three main areas of law: lawyer ethics, appeals and business litigation.

Her focus includes:

  • Ethics – Meg has represented lawyers in all stages of the disciplinary process pending before the Indiana Supreme Court. Additionally, she has represented other professionals in front of various state licensing boards and the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility.
  • Appellate – Meg brings a fresh perspective to identifying and analyzing issues on appeal. Her experience includes representing clients in the appellate phase of complex business disputes, contract and insurance coverage disputes, and shareholder liability.
  • Business Litigation – Meg assists clients in litigation in both state and federal courts in claims involving multi-million dollar contract disputes, shareholder liability, enforcement of employee restrictive covenants, inter-governmental disputes, unfair competition claims, dissolutions, administrative enforcement and licensing. She is experienced in media law issues including defamation defense, reputation management, and social media harms. Meg also represents the media in pursuing access to public records and enforcing open door laws.

Meg’s clients are primarily concerned about the impact their legal disputes will have on their business or personal lives. Recognizing that litigation introduces uncertainty into her clients’ plans, Meg prides herself on clearly communicating with clients about the practical effects of various strategies. Her goal is to help busy clients focus on what they do best while she works to present their strongest arguments in pursuit of the best possible result.

Between the Indiana State Bar Association (ISBA), the Indianapolis Bar Association (IBA), the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum (ICLEF), and the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers (APRL), Meg presents on ethics at over a dozen continuing legal education seminars each year. As part of ISBA’s Ethics Committee, she considers and issues advisory opinions, recommends rule changes and facilitates lawyer education events. Meg is an active member of the APRL and devotes her time to researching trends in disciplinary enforcement and lawyer ethics.

In her free time, Meg enjoys cooking, hosting dinner parties, and attending yoga or barre class. She’s an avid NPR listener, loves old homes and house rehabs, and enjoys attending camp with her two children. She has a vested interest in voting advocacy and once served as a member of the United Nations Election Protection Delegation, monitoring the polls in El Salvador’s national election.