Indiana Civil Forms

I notice from the traffic to this blog, that many are looking for forms. Sorry, I do not provide many here. As I explained to an attorney from Michigan several years back, Indiana does not have any official forms. Nowadays, the Indiana Judicial Center does have some forms online here.

From my viewpoint, they are extremely limited. Actually, I say they are peculiarly limited to the point that they are pretty much useless to most people (including lawyers). Oh, they are still not official forms as described on the page:

The following forms are available in Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, and Adobe PDF formats. These are sample forms maintained by the Division of State Court Administration.

Somewhat related, the Indiana appellate courts have sample appellate forms online here.

Following Up on "Indiana Business Resource: The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA)"

I got the following e-mail today from IOSHA in response to my post Indiana Business Resource: The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA):
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From time to time, your blogs about IOSHA and other IDOL divisions come to my attention. Thank you for your recent mention of our VPP program. We have 44 companies in Indiana (which may actually be up to 47 before another week is out), that are certified as VPP sites, and we use them as mentors, special employees to assist our department in reviewing new applicants for VPP, and simply as great news for the private sector and Indiana’s workers. We also have a program called INSharp, that helps companies become safer as well, but we offer more resources to the companies (and municipalities) than what is available with the Voluntary Protection Program. You are right that this is not the IOSHA of the past.

Finally, on Friday, we launched a new website that is more visually appealing, easier to use and will be the beginning of a more customer friendly and useful Department of Labor. You can access it at www.in.gov/labor. I invite you to take a look at it, and feel free to contact us at any time if we can offer you any assistance or information for your readers.

And, yes, the website looks better and appears easier to use.

Indiana Business Resource: The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA)

I know many businesses hate the sound of OSHA. Too often these same businesses have no idea that of the following Indiana program:

The Indiana Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) are also housed within IOSHA. VPP promotes effective worksite-based safety and health. In the VPP, management, labor, and IOSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system. Approval into VPP is OSHA's official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health programs. A VPP Manager is responsible for the operation of the VPP in Indiana.

For more information on IOSHA, take a look at this page here. Y0u will find information on the other division of IOSHA: the Industrial Compliance Division, the Construction Safety Division, and IOSHA's Whistleblower Protection Unit.

Indiana Alcoholic Beverage Licensing

Indiana's Alcohol Beverage & Tobacco Commission has some online resources that I want to highlight. First, the Licensing page - which is a collection of links to further information on the different types of licenses issued by the Commission.

As of today, the following contains all of the Commission's alcohol FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions):

ALCOHOL FAQs

• How much does a permit cost?
• How can I stop an alcoholic beverage permit from being put into use in my neighborhood?
• Can I open my new business before my permit is issued, and while the application is pending?
• How do I learn the Alcoholic Beverage laws and regulations?
• What are the legal hours for dispensing alcoholic beverages?
• Is it illegal to dispense alcoholic beverages on certain days?
• What qualifies a beverage as "alcoholic?"
• Is it illegal to furnish alcoholic beverages to an intoxicated person?
• Are premises with an alcoholic beverage license required to serve food?
• How old do you have to be to serve alcoholic beverages?
• How old do you have to be to work at a permit premises?
• Are Server Training Programs mandatory?
• What is the penalty for serving alcoholic beverages to minors?
• What are some reasons a new permit may not be approved by a Local Board and the Commission?
• What are some reasons a renewal application may not be approved by a Local Board and the Commission?
• What are the penalities for impaired driving in Indiana?
• What excise district am I in?

Another Resource for Indiana Businesses

The State of Indiana has a Business Owner's Guide as a web page.

The tech savvy will call this a portal page. It has links to other pages with pertinent information. A very good place for new Indiana businesses, old Indiana businesses and business wanting to know about Indiana.

Indiana's Economic Development Corporation's regulatory ombudsman

I really think those who think Indiana is not business friendly are not aware of the resources available to businesses in Indiana and those who want to come here. The IEDC's ombudsman program is an example for help in Permit and Regulatory Assistance.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation's regulatory ombudsman assists in the process of obtaining the permits and approvals necessary for a business operation. The ombudsman serves as a liaison between companies, communities, local economic development organizations and regulatory agencies.

The ombudsman assists both current and potential Indiana businesses with a variety of topics, including agency contacts and communication facilitation; license and permit requirements and applications; permit tracking; and regulatory compliance.

Also check out the links here.

Resource for Indiana lawyers: Indiana Law Journal

The Indiana University Law School at Bloomington has for a long time published its law review articles online. I think they are still the only Indiana law review doing so, but then IU Bloomington was a leader on the Internet.

What I am finding odd is that only the current volume is online. You can access this page through this link. I cannot find the archives and the site is a bit more barren than I otherwise recall.

Online resources - Indiana courts

I am not sure how many lawyers are aware that information on Indiana's trial courts is available at this link. So I decided to trumpet its existence. The information varies from county but all have contact information for the county clerk and the courts in that particular county. Local rules and web pages are also available for those counties with local rules and web pages.

Indiana Secretary of State - Investment Watch

If you are an investor or thinking of investing, I suggest that you check out the Investment Watch page at the Indiana Secretary of State's office. You should pay particular attention to the Investor Basic Training, Educational Outreach, and the Download (even if that last page has the goofy commercials to download) pages.