The Indiana Lawyer to become weekly supplement in IBJ’s print edition

The Indiana Lawyer debuted as a print publication in April 1990. (IBJ photo)

The Indiana Lawyer will end its 36-year run as a stand-alone print publication this month to become a supplement inside Indianapolis Business Journal’s weekly edition.

IBJ Media CEO Nate Feltman announced the change Thursday, saying it will allow The Indiana Lawyer’s coverage of courts, bar associations, law firms, legal aid, law schools and state government to reach more readers on a more frequent basis.

Feltman said the stand-alone print edition of The Indiana Lawyer, which is part of the IBJ Media newsroom that includes IBJ and Inside INdiana Business, serves less than 20% of the number of print subscribers compared with IBJ.

“By integrating The Indiana Lawyer into IBJ’s print edition, we significantly expand the audience for its reporting and commentary while adding meaningful value for IBJ subscribers,” Feltman writes in a column scheduled to appear in Friday’s print edition of IBJ. “Legal news does not exist in a vacuum. Courts, regulations and legal trends shape how businesses operate, invest and grow. Bringing that coverage directly to IBJ readers strengthens both publications.”

IBJ’s weekly print edition presently dedicates one page to highlights of The Indiana Lawyer’s work, which is published biweekly in print.

“We will publish one comprehensive weekly supplement that includes The Indiana Lawyer along with the Court & Commercial Record, which publishes legal notices,” Feltman writes in his column.

IBJ Media published the final stand-alone print edition of The Indiana Lawyer on Dec. 31. The Indiana Lawyer is scheduled to debut as a weekly supplement inside IBJ on Jan. 23.

The Indiana Lawyer’s non-print coverage—which includes The Indiana Lawyer podcast, multiple email newsletters and news posted at theindianalawyer.com—will continue, Feltman said.

Feltman also announced that award-winning business and political journalist Greg Weaver, who’s served as editor of The Indiana Lawyer since September 2024, plans to retire in February.

Weaver, a 1983 graduate of Ball State University, joined IBJ Media as managing editor of the Indianapolis Business Journal in 2021. Weaver previously worked for The Indianapolis Star for 26 years in a variety of roles including business editor and government and politics editor.

His list of accolades includes winning a gold honor at 2022’s Alliance of Area Business Publishers awards ceremony in Columbus, Ohio. Weaver’s editorial, “Where’s the real punishment for FBI officials in Nassar case,” collected top honors in the category of best editorial.

Weaver also earned first-place honors for editorial writing in 2022 and 2023 at the annual Best in Indiana Journalism Awards sponsored by the Indiana Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

In addition to Weaver’s retirement, one newsroom position at The Indiana Lawyer was eliminated as part of the transition from stand-alone print publication to supplement inside IBJ.

Feltman said cost-cutting did not dictate the decision to end The Indiana Lawyer’s run as a stand-alone print publication.

“Historically, the market of who consumes The Indiana Lawyer and where they look for news is constantly shifting,” Feltman said. “I’ve received feedback from the marketplace that, because of the separate mailed publication, the legal field has not been covered in-depth in the IBJ as real estate and other areas. We’re going to find content that’s relevant to our audience and deliver it in a way that’s maybe more valuable than it was before.”

The Indiana Lawyer’s reporters, Maura Johnson and Cameron Shaw, will become part of the team led by IBJ Editor and Assistant Publisher Lesley Weidenbener.

Feltman outlined what the change will mean to The Indiana Lawyer’s subscribers:

• Individual print subscribers of The Indiana Lawyer will receive an IBJ print subscription extended to include the number of 2026 issues remaining on their subscription.
• Digital subscribers will receive a digital-only IBJ subscription for the same period.
• Members of the Indianapolis Bar Association who receive access to The Indiana Lawyer through that membership will be offered an exclusive discounted IBJ subscription for their first year.

Minneapolis-based MCP Inc., which owned IBJ from June 1988 to October 1990, launched The Indiana Lawyer in April 1990 as a publication printed 26 times a year.