For Immediate Release | September 19, 2025
Leadership change at JLAP: Harrell retires, Hart takes helm
After an extraordinary career as a committed advocate for lawyer well-being, the long-time leader of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program, Terry L. Harrell, is retiring. Harrell originally joined the newly formed agency as clinical director in 2000 and was promoted to Executive Director in 2002—a position for which she was uniquely qualified with a background in law, psychology, and social work. The Court has named current JLAP Deputy Director Ashley Hart as the new Executive Director.
Chief Justice Loretta Rush is grateful to Harrell for her years of service to the Indiana courts, “Terry guided JLAP from its early days into a resource Indiana’s legal community relies on. Her work has strengthened the profession and will continue to do so well into the future.”
Harrell graduated from DePauw University, IU Maurer School of Law, and the IU School of Social Work. In addition to her law license, Terry holds licenses as a social worker and addictions counselor. Prior to joining JLAP, Harrell worked as a therapist, social worker, judicial law clerk, and private practice attorney. Harrell is a past chair of the American Bar Association's Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and a founding member of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. She received the ABA CoLAP Meritorious Service Award in October 2021.
About her upcoming retirement, Harrell remarked, “It has been the greatest honor of my career to lead the JLAP office and to work alongside so many exceptional lawyers and staff who believe wholeheartedly in our mission. Hoosier lawyers and judges need a place to seek help when they struggle to balance their humanity with their professional responsibility. I know that JLAP will continue to be that place in the very capable hands of incoming director Ashley Hart.”
Like Harrell, Hart has an education in law and social work, with her Master of Social Work from IU and her Juris Doctorate from IU McKinney School of Law. Prior to joining JLAP as Deputy Director in 2024, Hart worked as a staff attorney for the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Indiana and in private practice. She is also a certified grief educator and a graduate of the Indiana State Bar Association’s Leadership Development Academy.
The Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program provides compassionate support to judges, lawyers, and law students. By promoting well-being and fostering connection, it serves to elevate the competence of the profession. All interactions with JLAP are confidential, including those that are court-ordered and those that are voluntary. More information on JLAP can be found at courts.in.gov/jlaphelps.
Contact
Kathryn Dolan, Chief Public Information Officer
317-234-4722
kathryn.dolan@courts.in.gov