Champion of Civil Legal Assistance Honoree Profile – Monica Fennell

For Monica Fennell, access to justice is not simply a professional mission — it is a lifelong commitment rooted in service, empathy, and innovation. As Pro Bono Counsel at Faegre Drinker, Fennell has spent her career expanding opportunities for legal assistance across Indiana while helping shape statewide access-to-justice initiatives alongside some of the legal profession’s most respected leaders.

Through her work with pro bono programs, volunteer attorneys, and the courts, Fennell has become a driving force in ensuring legal services reach those who need them most. The Indiana Bar Foundation is proud to recognize Monica Fennell as this year’s Champion of Civil Legal Assistance.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what brought you to this point in your career?

I’m Pro Bono Counsel at Faegre Drinker. I feel like all of my jobs have been dream jobs because I get the chance to work with people who are committed to helping others for free. I am lucky to work in a state with such a strong judiciary, committed not just to access to justice but to innovation as well.

Decades ago, attorneys like Carl Pebworth and Judge Diana LaViolette developed innovative access-to-justice ideas, and I’ve had the chance to implement them. I first worked with Diana LaViolette on a family court ADR program in Greencastle. Carl set up a pro bono clinic in that same small town, with the idea of leveraging Indianapolis-based DePauw University alumni volunteers. When I was at the Indiana Pro Bono Commission, Chief Justice Randall Shepard and David Remondini provided the vision for a statewide network of volunteer lawyers. And I’m sure that it’s because of their good work and mentoring that I was able to be a U.S. Supreme Court Fellow and work on cutting-edge systemic issues with the federal court system.

What does receiving this award mean to you?

The award is a recognition of the impact of the hundreds of pro bono volunteers I’ve worked with over the years. I’ve had the privilege of working at a law firm that is truly committed to pro bono. Among other things, Faegre Drinker was the first firm to have the vision to hire a pro bono professional in Indianapolis. Thank you to the Indiana Bar Foundation not only for this award, but also for being one of my first homes in this field.

Who has supported or inspired you along the way?

• My husband, who is my biggest champion, for greeting me at the end of the day with “How’s justice?” Maybe it’s to ward off complaints about work, but it grounds me in why we do the work.
• My children have caused me to look at all of you through their eyes and see the admiration that they have for your work. And for understanding that some things are more important than money.
• My son’s own public interest career inspires me and teaches me something new practically every day. My daughter tells it like it is and will never stop trying to connect our world and make it a better place.
• My parents for modeling kindness and respect, demonstrating the value of empathy.
• Judge Melissa May for her Pro Bono Commission leadership and for showing my access to justice class what it takes to be a judge, with humor and honesty.
• Justice Geoffrey Slaughter for his leadership on the Coalition for Court Access.
• Semi-retired Justice Steve David for writing, and living, a lawyers’ creed to get us through times when we might lose our way in the profession.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to make a similar impact?

I heard someone say this in a different context, that it’s important to have equal parts intelligence and empathy. In my corner of the legal profession, you see attorneys at their best, trying to solve problems and help others, so it helps remind us why we’re lawyers.

Do you have a motto or quote that guides you?

Bryan Stevenson: “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.”

I leave you with a quote about hope from one of my favorite law professors, David Cole, at this year’s Georgetown commencement: “Hope is what gets us to stand up when others say sit down…My hope is that as lawyers, you will choose the action that produces hope, not the fatalism of the spectator.”

Join us in celebrating Monica Fennell and her contributions to the pro bono community at the Indiana Bar Foundation’s Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon on Friday, June 26, at the Westin in downtown Indianapolis. Learn more and RSVP, click here: https://pro.gofundme.com/event/2026-annual-meeting-and-awards-luncheon/e783083.