Life Outside the Office
September 2023
One of our paralegals, Kelly Johns, got married on August 5th in Gatlinburg, Tennessee! Congratulations and Best Wishes to Kelly and her husband Bryan!
Melissa Avery and Amanda Blystone attended the American Bar Association House of Delegates Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado August 7-8, 2023 where they voted on many resolutions significant to the profession. Melissa serves as Indiana’s State Delegate and Amanda participated on behalf of the Indianapolis Bar Association.
August 2023
Nissa Ricafort, FLG Attorney, enjoys spending time with a different breed of client when she leaves the office. She began volunteering for the Hamilton County Humane Society in September 2021. After COVID interrupted regular volunteering in other areas, Nissa knew she wanted to get back into her community in a volunteer capacity but wasn’t sure where to dedicate her time. She has always been a dog lover and after a friend mentioned the opportunity to walk dogs at the humane society, Nissa took up the offer. She participated in the necessary training and has since been walking dogs one to two times a week. Spending time with the humane society’s dogs is one of the highlights of her week, they are always happy and grateful to see her! She recently began to extend her volunteering to include dog handling at local adoption events in the community. Snuggling with a rescue dog is her favorite way to spend a weekend afternoon. Unfortunately, the shelter has been at or over capacity with dogs for the past several months and typically has over 100 dogs available for adoption. Come to see Nissa at the shelter and meet your new furry best friend!
July 2023
BKR Attorneys work consistently to achieve the best results for their clients in the office and apply the same work ethic outside of the office to better themselves and their communities.
Photo by Lauren Gallagher & Doug Pileri
Melanie Reichert, FLG Attorney, helps her clients achieve their goals and coaches members of her community to reach their fitness goals by instructing fitness classes at the YMCA. She began taking Les Mills BodyPump classes in 2008, and instantly fell in love with the format. The group environment provided a sense of fun and community that Melanie enjoyed. When the gym that offered the classes changed ownership, the YMCA began offering them and she immediately joined back in on the fun. After regularly participating in BodyPump classes for two years, Melanie took the leap to learn to instruct the class. She signed up for her first BodyPump training as a birthday gift to herself and hasn’t looked back. Since teaching her first class on October 4th, 2019 Melanie has earned certifications in 4 Les Mills formats including BodyPump, BodyBalance, RPM, Sprint, and has become a Level 1 Spinning instructor. She now teaches four classes each week at three area YMCAs.
Melanie recently led the YMCA’s Community Hero Ride to honor all active-duty military (including her son), veterans, first responders, police officers, firefighters, medical personnel, and educators. Melanie and her class rode to music from the Marvel Cinematic Universe while wearing hero costumes to celebrate the heroic members of her community.
June 2023
BKR Attorneys work consistently to achieve the best results for their clients in the office and apply the same work ethic outside of the office to better themselves and their communities. Austin Robbins, FLG Attorney, assists youth in his time away from the office. Austin is the Head Coach of the Pendleton High School Boys Rugby team. Austin has been coaching Pendleton for 4 years. Pendleton recently finished their season winning the Division 1 State Championship for the second year in a row. Pendleton had a 14-2 record this season, going undefeated during the regular season and state playoffs, and ended the year ranked #8 in the Nation after finishing 7th in the Club National Championships. Pendleton’s team is comprised of High School Aged Boys from the Madison County area. Pendleton traveled to Memphis and New Orleans over spring break to face other nationally ranked opponents. Overall, Pendleton faced 12 ranked opponents from 7 different States this season. Austin played rugby collegiately at Indiana University and began coaching Bloomington high school boys during his sophomore year. He has since gone on to coach at Zionsville, Fishers, with the Midwest All Stars, and at Marian University. Austin enjoys the opportunity to give back to the sport he loves. Connecting with the players on and off the field and seeing them go on to excel in life is his favorite part of being a Coach.
Melissa Avery recently attended the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Negotiation Workshop hosted by the Cambridge Negotiation Institute in Boston, MA. The Workshop was taught by Bob Bordone, Senior Fellow, Harvard Law School.
May 2023
Melissa Avery joined family law colleagues and their guests from around the country at the America Bar Association Family Law Section Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Melissa is a Past Chair of the section and currently serves as the Financial Officer.
April 2023
Melissa Avery and these family law lawyers from around the country found time to enjoy the beach at the recent American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Spring Meeting in Nassau, Bahamas. Melissa serves as the Bylaws and Policies Committee Chair and is a member of the Finance Committee.
