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Sunday, September 17, 2006

Indiana Law - Out-of-state lawyers join Ice Miller

Out-of-state lawyers join Ice Miller, some of them even though it is located in the midwest, indeed, in a town named Indianapolis. But it takes a while to convince them. Golly gee.

That seems to be the point of this very large (7 x 5.5) color photo on the front page of the business section of today's Indianapolis Star. The "masters of the universe" photo pictures new hires Thomas Mulhern (left) and Ashish Khanna, "both recruited from out-of-state, [who] now work in offices overlooking Monument Circle. Mulhern, who moved from Manhattan, was sold on Indianapolis after a few visits; Khanna is from Missouri."

That is from the caption to the photo. The story itself, headlined "An intro to Indy: Local companies trying to lure best and brightest must work to overcome recruits' perception of our city," does not mention the attorneys until the jump-page, where the story, by J.K. Wall, reports:

Thomas Mulhern didn't recognize it until his wife got a summer internship at Lilly. Getting to see the city first-hand allowed the Mulherns to say yes when Lilly offered her a job.

Mulhern, an attorney, left a firm in Manhattan to join Ice Miller.

"Having a chance to come out here three or four times made a huge difference," said Mulhern, 33. Without those personal visits, he said, he would not have come.

To be sure, Indianapolis companies can find plenty of talented professionals from Indiana and the Midwest. Ice Miller just hired 15 attorneys, most of them from the Midwest, and most with opportunities in other cities.

For example, Ashish Khanna, 31, a Missouri native, chose Ice Miller over law firms in Chicago, Cleveland and Washington. He started at Ice Miller this month.

But Indianapolis employers say they need to attract the best minds -- no matter where they come from. And sometimes, the best minds have negative images about the entire Midwest.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 17, 2006 08:56 AM
Posted to Indiana Law