FEATURE: LAUREN JONES IS “RAISING THE BAR”

LAUREN JONES IS “RAISING THE BAR”

BY DAVID KETTERLING

September 6, 2024

As she does nearly every morning, Lauren Jones wakes up at 4:00 a.m. and prepares to go for a run that could be anywhere from three to ten miles, sometimes in preparation for another marathon.  On the mornings she does not run, she is lifting weights at the YMCA.  She lives on the west side of Evansville with her husband, David, two cats, and a beloved puppy, Candi.  Lauren will be either the first or second person (depending on her husband David’s schedule) opening the law offices of Jones · Wallace in the Fifth Third building in downtown Evansville.  She is the Firm Administrator and paralegal, and since 2019 has been Chief of Staff for the Vanderburgh County Law Department.  She has been in the legal field for 30+ years.

Lauren was the Paralegal and Chief of Staff of the Law Department of the City of Evansville from 2004 through 2011 where she demonstrated unequaled professional

skills, competence and dedication as a paralegal.  At that time, then-Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel said:

“As Chief of Staff for the City Law Department, Lauren Jones shoulders a great deal of responsibility. From her work at Code Enforcement hearings to handling tort claims, we depend on Lauren to represent the City and its interests.  She serves as a role model to other paralegals and helps raise the standard for the profession.”

In addition to her administrative skills in coordinating the activities of members of the City Law Department who were in various law firms, she represented the City in prosecuting City Code ordinance violations in Administrative Hearings, which proved invaluable to the City in reducing the back log of cases, and eliminated the need for an attorney.  The City’s Code Enforcement Coordinator, Greg Bryant, remarked at the time:

“For the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Lauren on Code Enforcement legal issues.  Her client dedication and case preparedness are always there.  She just exudes professionalism with a can-do attitude and it has truly been my pleasure to work with her.”

Lauren was the Paralegal in every jury trial for the City in that period of time from 2004 to 2011.

For a number of years, Lauren worked with a small group of dedicated paralegals from around Indiana seeking to create a statewide certification program to raise the standards of professionalism for paralegals in the Indiana Bar Association.  Former Indiana State Bar Association President, Spence Walton, observed:

“ As President of the Indiana State Bar Association in 2000-2001, we passed changes to the admission requirements allowing paralegals to join the ISBA.  I have had the pleasure of working with Lauren Jones and others to establish the Paralegal Committee to enhance paralegals’ roles in the Indiana legal system.  Lauren has always been at the forefront of her profession to make the practice of law in Indiana not only better for paralegals, but also the clients we all serve.”

In 2014, after many years of effort and perseverance, the small group of paralegals, which included Lauren working with former ISBA President and Ethics Chair John Conlon and Indiana Appellate Court Judge Ed Najam, persuaded the ISBA Board of Governors and the ISBA House of Delegates to approve a program for registered paralegals, which ultimately was adopted by the Indiana Supreme Court.  Lauren was one of the first paralegals to receive the designation of Indiana Registered Paralegal with registration number three.  She has Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies, and is a PACE Registered Paralegal, and an Indiana Registered Paralegal.  As a member of the Indiana State Bar Association for many years, she has served as Vice Chair of the Affiliate Membership Committee and a member of the ISBA Ethics Committee.  Lauren served on the Board of Directors of the Indiana Paralegal Association, serving two terms as President.  She also chaired the IPA Ethics Committee and was a long-serving member of its Regulation Committee.  Lauren is currently a member of the ISBA, IPA, National Federation of Paralegal Association and the Evansville Bar Association Paralegal Section, where she served as the first Chairperson.  Lauren has been a member of the EBA Diversity Outreach Committee.  

In 2013, Lauren was awarded the Indiana Paralegal Association’s Outstanding Board Member of the Year award.  In 2012, she was awarded the Indiana State Bar Association’s Affiliate Committee Award.  In 2010, Lauren was awarded the Outstanding Paralegal of the Year by the Indiana Paralegal Association.  She also received the 2010 Evansville Bar Association’s Outstanding Paralegal Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Profession of Paralegal and Dedicated Service to the Legal Community.  She was the 2005 recipient of the Evansville Bar Association President’s Award.

As the late and revered former Executive Director of the Evansville Bar Association, Susan Helfrich once said: 

“Without Lauren’s dedication, hard work, and professionalism, paralegals would not be valued members of the Evansville Bar Association.”

She is also active in the community and currently serves as a member of the Community Correction Advisory Board.   She is a member of the Board of Directors of A Network of Evansville Women (ANEW) and has been a member for 15+ years. She currently chairs ANEW’s Orientation Committee and has chaired and served on several ANEW committees. Lauren currently performs duties on the Women’s Equality Day committee as well.  Lauren served as a volunteer for the Vanderburgh County Juvenile Court’s Teen Court Program; has volunteered for the Volunteer Lawyer Program; and has served as a volunteer paralegal for members of the military reserves who were called to active duty.  She has donated many hours annually assisting charitable organizations, as well as individuals, especially youth and the elderly.

Lauren has been a member of Abundant Life Community Church in Newburgh since 1998, where she has taught Sunday School for over 25 years.  Former Associate Pastor Kevin Kappler remarked before he accepted a position at another church:

“Lauren Jones has been my youngest son Kraig’s Sunday School teacher for approximately a year.  Lauren and her husband David have been faithful and incredibly committed to their group of students in their endeavor to deliver the Word of God and display the compassion of Christ.  Not only did they take the time to personalize their classroom through painting and decorating, but they have also taken the students to several off-ground activities.”

Lauren Jones has been a role model for others in the legal community through her years of commitment to raising the bar of professionalism and helping to provide a higher standard of legal services.