Judge James S. Kirsch was awarded the Paul H. Buchanan Jr. Award of Excellence at the Indianapolis Bar Association/Indianapolis Bar Foundation Recognition Luncheon held on November 20, 2008.  Appointed to the Indiana Court of Appeals in 1994, Judge Kirsch served as Chief Judge from 2004 to 2007.  

According to criteria for the award, the award was created to honor the Honorable Paul H. Buchanan Jr. for his “long and distinguished career, his devotion to the interests of justice as a leader of the Bench, the Bar and the community, and his commitment to service.” The award is presented to individuals “whose attainments as a lawyer have been notable, whose contributions to the Association have been unique, and whose honorable service to the profession has extended over a significant period of time.” This prestigious award is given to reward individual accomplishments and also to inspire others to such service.

Honored as the recipient of the award, Judge Kirsch stated, “The fourteen women and men who have received the Buchanan award before me are without exception the epitome of professionalism and civility.  It is my great privilege to have known each of them.  They represent the best our profession has to offer, and I feel great pride and great humility to have my name added to their number.”

Since 1990, Judge Kirsch has held an appointment as Visiting Professor of Law and Management at the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University.  He is a past-president of the Indianapolis Bar Association and of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation and a former member of the Board of Visitors of the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis. In addition, he is a past-president of the United Way/Community Service Council Board of Directors and a current member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Central Indiana. Judge Kirsch also is on the Board of Associates of Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, and on the Boards of Directors of the Goodwill Industries Foundation of Central Indiana, Community Centers of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Urban League, the Legal Aid Society of Indianapolis, and the Stanley K. Lacy Leadership Association.  He is a Fellow of the Indiana State Bar Foundation and of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation.  He is a frequent speaker and lecturer and has served on the faculty of more than 200 continuing legal education programs.  Judge Kirsch has been named a Sagamore of the Wabash by four different governors. 

For more information regarding the award, contact Sandhya Graves at sgraves@courts.state.in.us or 317-694-1131.