Indiana Lawyer Features the Firm's Pro Bono Homeowner Property Tax Clinic

In January 2013, the tax group at Faegre Baker Daniels, led by partner Brent Auberry and paralegal Judy Ferber, partnered with the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic to organize the first ever pro bono Homeowner Property Tax Clinic in Marion County, Indiana. A team of volunteer attorneys and real estate consultants from FaegreBD, as well as Marion County Assessor Joe O'Connor, consulted with owners of homes valued at $150,000 or less on their 2012 property tax assessments. The lawyers met with the homeowners on one end of the room, learning about their situations and evaluating evidence that their properties were overvalued. The attorneys were then able to meet with the assessor, and many of the homeowners left the clinic with either a resolution or a promise that the county assessor would contact them in a few days.

Recalling the atmosphere of the clinic in Indiana Lawyer, Auberry said, "I had a feeling like a little energy, a little buzz in the air." He attributed the excitement to people leaving the clinic either with a resolution or an assurance that a resolution would be coming shortly. "Most important," Auberry said, "we got the parties in same room at the same time."

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