Distinguished Service Award winners named

Four alumni were presented with the Law School’s Distinguished Service Award on October 1. Again this year, the entire first-year class attended the ceremony as part of the Legal Profession course, which gave them the opportunity to hear first-hand about the honorees’ experiences and to meet with them informally afterwards.

The winners of this year’s award are:

Elizabeth (Libby) Baney, ’07, who has been an active Law School volunteer during the 14 years since her graduation. She served for 12 years on the school’s Alumni Board, recently completing a term as its president. Baney has also served as a mentor to students and as an invaluable resource for the Career Services Office in Washington, DC, where she is a partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath.

Baney’s practice focuses on issues relating to digital health, including internet pharmacies and pharmacy compliance, telemedicine, telehealth, and drug price transparency. A prolific speaker and writer, Baney is a frequent contributor to strategic workshops, conferences, and publications such as the Los Angeles Times and USA Today.

Shakeba DuBose, ’04, the founding member of the DuBose Law Firm and DDLF Health Care Compliance Consulting Group, which offer legal and compliance consulting services to healthcare providers and health services organizations in Columbus, Ohio. Before starting the firm in 2013, DuBose worked for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Health and Human Services Division, as an assistant attorney and for CareSource Management Group as an associate. DuBose has been a member of the Black Law Students Association Alumni Advisory Board since 2007. In 2012 she became president of the board and has been one of its most engaged leaders since its founding in 2004. During her term as president, she was known for keeping the board focused through quarterly phone calls and creating special projects such as board mentoring.

DuBose has been a mentor to countless Black students at the Law School, frequently traveling from her home in Columbus to hold student sessions focusing on how to get on a law journal, be successful in Moot Court, and pass the bar. She recently joined the adjunct faculty, teaching health care law during the school’s Wintersession.

DEAN PARRISH CONGRATULATES LIBBY BANEY COVID-STYLE.

DEAN PARRISH WITH THIS YEAR’S HONOREES: LIBBY BANEY, SHAKEBA DUBOSE, HON. JOSE RODRIGUEZ, AND LEAH SEIGEL.

JUDGE RODRIGUEZ THANKS THE AUDIENCE FOR HIS AWARD.

TOP: LEAH SEIGEL ACCEPTS HER AWARD FROM DEAN PARRISH.

BOTTOM: STUDENTS IN THE FIRST-YEAR LEGAL PROFESSION COURSE ATTENDED THE CEREMONY AND STAYED FOR A Q&A WITH THE HONOREES. HERE THEY CONGRATULATE SHAKEBA DUBOSE. Hon. Jose M. Rodriguez, Jr., ’80, who has provided extraordinary support and mentorship to Law School students for more than 15 years, taking many students as externs in his chambers. He has also served the school as a popular instructor, teaching Courtroom Procedure during Wintersession. In 2018, he and Luis Navarro, ’00, established the Judge Jose M. Rodriguez Law Scholar program, which creates a summer position for qualified diverse students interested in practicing in Miami.

Judge Rodriguez was named county court judge by Florida Governor Lawton Chiles in 1994. He served there until 2000, when he was appointed circuit court judge by Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Judge Rodriguez has been a member of the Latino Alumni Advisory Board since 2013, currently serving as board president, and he joined the Law School Alumni Board in 2018.

Leah Seigel, ’14, this year’s recipient of the Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award. In January of this year, she joined Lilly Endowment Inc. as program director for community development. Previously she was an associate at Barnes & Thornburg in Indianapolis, where she focused on appellate and intellectual property litigation. Before joining Barnes & Thornburg, Seigel clerked for Hon. Mark S. Massa of the Indiana Supreme Court. In 2019 she was recognized with an Up-and-Coming Leadership in Law Award by The Indiana Lawyer.

Seigel has extensive experience on boards of nonprofit organizations, including the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Happy Hollow Children’s Camp. In addition to service to her community, she has been a tremendous resource for the Law School’s Career Services Office and as a founding member of the Young Alumni Steering Committee representing the Indianapolis area.

The Distinguished Service Award was established in 1997 to recognize graduates of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law who have distinguished themselves in service to their communities and the school in ways far exceeding traditional business, professional, and civic duties. Through their hard work, passion, and accomplishments, these alumni define Indiana Law’s ideals for community service and serve as accomplished role models for our Law School and the greater community.