The Volunteer Attorney Panel for Civil Rights Cases was created by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana to facilitate providing counsel for indigent individuals with potentially meritorious civil rights claims. For more details about this program, please refer to the Plan for the Volunteer Attorney Panel for Civil Rights Cases.
Attorneys interested in joining the Volunteer Attorney Panel are able to sign up through the court’s on-line registration form here. You will then be included on the list of attorneys eligible for appointment in civil rights cases. Appointments will be made when a pro se litigant has requested counsel and a judge has determined that counsel is necessary in a particular case.
Members of this Court’s bar are encouraged to give serious consideration to joining the Volunteer Panel for Civil Rights Cases. Direct experience in prisoner or other civil rights cases is not required. This program presents an excellent opportunity for newer attorneys to gain valuable federal court experience, and for attorneys at all practice levels to further a commitment to public service.
The program is managed by the Clerk’s Office. For any questions pertaining to this program, please contact:
Plan Administrator, Rob Kinsella at (219) 852-3606 or rob_kinsella@innd.uscourts.gov
Additional Resources:
- Plan for the Volunteer Attorney Panel for Civil Rights Cases
- 7th Circuit Guide for Recruited Counsel
- Prisoner Litigation Handbook
- Application Form
- Course Materials from December 7, 2021 Attorney Training