The House Courts and Criminal Code Committee heard HB 1039 authored by Rep. Washburne and Rep. DeLaney on the court staff attorney pilot project. This bill establishes a two-year pilot circuit and superior court assistance project administered by the Indiana Judicial Center to handle complex motions. The bill provides for legal assistance from an attorney, senior judge, or third year law student to trial courts in five counties, to be selected on the basis of specified population levels, to assist with the research and the drafting of judicial orders in response to complex motions. The bill authorizes the litigants in a complex case to request pilot project assistance. The Indiana Judicial Center would be authorized to charge a fee for the assistance when parties request it. Requests for assistance made by judges in the selected counties would not be subject to any fees.
Mike McMahon from the Judicial Center testified in support of the bill, pointing out that the pilot could complement efforts under way for study of a “specialty court” as Chief Justice Rush described in her State of the Judiciary message to “bring together judges experienced in handling business and commercial law cases to preside over a specialized docket with business-specific resources.” McMahon said that some extra funding for the Judicial Center may be required for the pilot. A representative from State Farm Insurance also testified in support of the bill. The bill passed 11-0.
Read the bill at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/house/1039.