Indiana is facing a critical shortage of public sector lawyers statewide, but particularly in rural counties

The office of judicial administration, in conjunction with indianas public defender and prosecutor state agencies, will administer the john R. Justice program to provide invaluable financial support to public defender and prosecutor attorneys in areas of highest need. OJA leadership, including the chief administrative officer of the indiana supreme court, will work with the executive directors of ipdc and ipac to develop application forms and uniform selection priorities to support the most significant geographic shortages, as well as ensuring funds are received by lawyers with financial need. Graduates of indianas conference of legal education opportunity program, which provides support to underrepresented and economically disadvantaged law students, will be particularly good candidates when working in the public sector. Ipac and ipdc will be able to directly message their constituents about application availability and timeline, and OJA can provide similar outreach through the judicial officers of the state.