(INDIANAPOLIS) – The Indiana Department of Child Services is pleased to announce Erin Bognar as assistant general counsel of training and support. In this newly-created position, Bognar will work to improve DCS attorney training and recruitment for the agency’s litigation department, a recommendation made by the Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group’s 2018 report.
“I am excited about the opportunity to help an already incredible team build on their skills to help better serve Indiana’s children in need of services and their families,” Bognar said. “I’m really grateful to be working for an agency whose mission is to protect the children who most need it.”
Bognar will oversee the development and implementation of the DCS attorney training curriculum as well as advance a strategic recruitment and retention plan to reduce turnover in the department. She will also develop a legal internship program with the goal of attracting law school graduates who already have experience with DCS. Bognar previously served as the agency’s chief counsel of legal affairs, handling the legal aspects of public records requests and the adoption subsidy program while also overseeing litigation of cases against DCS.
“Erin’s background is well-suited to helping our division grow,” said Jim Luttrull, deputy general counsel of the litigation division. “Her listening and problem-solving skills, along with her commitment to protecting kids and improving families, will assist DCS litigators in bringing their best to court every day.” Bognar resides in Westfield, Ind. and holds a law degree from the St. Louis University School of Law. She formally worked as a partner at a private law firm in Chicago.
