Legal Insights

How Indiana Sentences Are Calculated — and the State's Sentence Calculator

A sentence on paper rarely equals time served. How credit time, jail credit, and consecutive counts change the real number — plus a step-by-step guide to Indiana's free, little-known sentence calculator.

Protective Orders in Indiana: What to Know

Who can file, the ex parte order, what relief is available, how long orders last, firearm consequences, and how a protective order differs from a no-contact order.

Establishing Paternity in Indiana

Paternity affidavits vs. court actions, the 60-day genetic-test window, the two-year filing deadline and its exceptions, and what legal paternity means for custody and support.

Unpaid Wages and Wage-and-Hour Claims in Indiana

The Wage Payment and Wage Claims statutes, final-paycheck rules, FLSA overtime, the 2024 salary-exemption rollback, liquidated damages, and a two-year clock already running.

Indiana Wrongful Termination and Workplace Retaliation

At-will employment, the public-policy exceptions, the EEOC 300-day and OSHA 30-day deadlines, constructive discharge, releases, and what evidence to preserve now.

Indiana Expungement and the Second Chance Law

Ind. Code chapter 35-38-9: the five tiers, waiting periods, what can't be expunged, the one-petition-per-lifetime rule, and Indiana's anti-discrimination protections.

Indiana Child Support: How It's Calculated, Modified, and Enforced

The income shares model, parenting-time credit, the 2024 Guidelines update, the 20%/12-month modification path, emancipation at 19, post-secondary expenses, and enforcement tools.

Filing an EEOC Charge in Indiana: Deadlines, Process, and What Comes Next

Indiana is a deferral state — you generally have 300 days. Learn the EEOC/ICRC process, the right-to-sue letter, the 90-day window, and claims that don't go through the EEOC.

What Happens After a PCR Petition Is Denied in Indiana

Appeal, petition to transfer, federal habeas, successive petitions, and clemency — the paths available after a PCR denial and the strict 30-day window to act.

Indiana Felony Levels 1 Through 6: Sentencing Ranges and What They Mean

Advisory sentences, minimum and maximum ranges, the Level 6 alternative misdemeanor, habitual offender enhancements, credit time, and how level affects expungement.

Indiana Post-Conviction Rule 1: From Petition to Hearing

Step-by-step procedural guide to Indiana PCR Rule 1 — the verified petition, State's response, evidentiary hearing, findings, appeal, and the successive petition limit.

Newly Discovered Evidence in Indiana Post-Conviction Cases

The nine-factor Carter test, the DNA testing statute (IC § 35-38-7), Brady violations, witness recantations, and why the first PCR petition must include everything.

How Indiana Courts Decide Child Custody

The best-interests standard, legal vs. physical custody, joint custody, the child's preference, Indiana's relocation statute, and how to modify an existing order.

Sentence Modification in Indiana: How IC 35-38-1-17 Works

A separate, often-overlooked tool from appeal or PCR — how Indiana's sentence modification statute works, who qualifies, and what the court considers.

The Indiana Divorce Process: What to Expect From Filing to Final Order

Residency rules, the 60-day waiting period, property division under Indiana's one-pot approach, and what a final decree contains — step by step.

Termination of Parental Rights in Indiana: How TPR Works and How to Respond

What DCS must prove by clear and convincing evidence, how TPR differs from a CHINS case, and what rights parents have throughout the process.

Indiana Post-Conviction Relief: Who Qualifies and How the Process Works

The authoritative plain-English guide to PCR under Indiana Rule 1 — what it can address, the most common grounds, the process, and timing.

Was My Lawyer Ineffective? How to Prove Ineffective Assistance of Counsel in Indiana

The two-part Strickland test, common examples of ineffective assistance, and how the claim is raised through post-conviction relief.

I Lost My Trial in Indiana. What Happens Next?

You may have only 30 days to appeal. How a direct appeal works, what the Court of Appeals does, and your options if it fails.

Drug Charges in Indiana: What Actually Happens at Every Step

From arrest and the initial hearing to diversion, drug court, trial, and sentencing — a plain-English walkthrough of an Indiana drug case.

Indiana Expungement After a Drug Offense: The One Chance You Can't Afford to Waste

Indiana's Second Chance Law can seal a drug conviction — but you usually get one filing. Waiting periods, the one-bite rule, and what qualifies.

CHINS Indiana: What Parents Need to Know When DCS Opens a Case

If DCS has opened a case involving your family, this guide explains every step — from the first 48-hour hearing to permanency — and what you should do right now.