08/01/2024
Chaucer is credited for the expression “All good things must come to an end” (including this very long post). That includes so many things we enjoy in life, but a final chapter must be written for everything.
With that said, and with mixed emotions, after 41 years of serving Northwest Indiana as an attorney, mediator, Guardian Ad Litem, Parenting Time Coordinator and regularly sitting Temporary Judge, I am announcing my retirement from the active practice of law and the closing of the Law Offices of Mark Warren Coleman and Associates on September 30, 2024.
Over the course of the last 41 years, I’ve been fortunate to have had some incredible colleagues in my life; lawyers, administrative assistants, judges, court staff, court security, GAL kids and their parents, and our clients... especially our clients. So many wonderful people who have touched my life. I hope that, at least once or twice, I’ve been able to put a smile on your face.
I will miss taking/making calls with colleagues and clients to discuss a case for 10-15 minutes, then shut off the meter and talk about our lives, families or just good old courthouse gossip. I will miss talking with colleagues and clients about trips to Europe or the Caribbean, talking baseball, talking and sharing pictures of our dogs… and just trying to get to know the person on the other side of the table or on the other end of the phone; a person who has entrusted our office with a major life event that will, most likely, have an impact on them for the rest of their life.
As we begin our final few months and begin to close things out, I’ll conclude by saying THANK YOU. Thank you to the judges who tolerated me while educating me. Thank you to my colleagues for the comradery and for pushing me to be better. Thank you to the court staff members who always put a smile on my face and are so professional in their jobs by keeping the courts running smooth. And thank you to the four office partners I was fortunate to have by my side during my professional journey, Elaine, Amy, Leona and Cheryl. Thank you to my two intelligent and beautiful daughters, and most important of all, thank you to my incredible wife, who’s put up with me, been there for me “in sickness and health,” and dealt with my sometimes nasty disposition, but without her, I wouldn’t be here today.
It has been my honor and privilege to appear before you/work with and for you for the last 41 years. Thank you for being a part of my career and my life.
Stay well and stay safe, my friends. Enjoy life to the fullest while you can! So, until we meet again, remember...
“Be positive. Test negative!”
Mark
August 1, 2024
