Bloomington city attorney to leave post, join Paganelli Law Group
Bloomington’s city attorney, Larry Allen, has confirmed to The B Square that his last day working for the city’s legal department will be Dec. 31.
The opening for Allen’s position was posted on Tuesday.
Allen will be joining the Bloomington office of the Paganelli Law Group, which acquired the Carmin Parker law firm earlier this year.
Responding to a B Square question, Allen wrote in an email message: “I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to work for the City.”
Allen continued, “I have been extraordinarily lucky to have worked with so many talented individuals at all levels of the City that have taught and supported me during my time here.”
He added, “It’s also humbling to play a role in helping folks have a little more access to and understanding of local government and to see the results of our work within the City.”
Before Allen started in the city’s legal department, he worked in the office of Indiana’s attorney general for a half decade, from 2013 to 2018. Allen joined the city of Bloomington’s legal department in 2018 as an assistant city attorney, and served in that capacity until mid-2023, when he was appointed deputy mayor by then-mayor John Hamilton.
As deputy mayor, Allen succeeded Mary Catherine Carmichael, who had been appointed to fill the vacancy left by Don Griffin, who resigned at the end of 2022, to make what proved to be an unsuccessful run for mayor. Allen served as Griffin’s campaign treasurer.
Incoming mayor Kerry Thomson tapped Margie Rice as corporation counsel, who is, under state law, head of a city’s legal department. Rice then picked Allen as city attorney, a job he’s held since January of this year.
One of Allen’s more visible roles has been to provide legal support during meetings of Bloomington’s redevelopment commission.
Reached by phone late this week, Tony Paganelli told The B Square that he got to know Allen after Paganelli Law Group acquired Carmin Parker in April this year. The attorneys whose names formed the acquired firm’s moniker are Michael Carmin and Angela Parker.
Both Carmin and Parker could be familiar to B Square readers from coverage of various municipal projects. For example, Parker served as legal counsel for the developer of Summit District planned unit development (PUD), Carmin represented the owner of the parcel that Monroe County had wanted to see rezoned by the Bloomington for a new county jail.
Paganelli’s acquaintance with Allen was made because Paganelli wanted to make a concerted effort to get to know the Bloomington business and economic development community—a lot of Parker and Carmin’s work is in economic development.
Paganelli told The B Square that as a part of his effort to get familiar with the economic development community he got involved with the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC). Through that connection he got to know Jen Pearl, who is president of the BEDC. Pearl and Allen are married.
Paganelli said he had met Allen several times and got to know him, even before starting serious talks this fall about Allen joining Paganelli’s firm.
Responding to an emailed question from The B Square, Paganelli wrote, “We expect [Allen] will be able to immediately help our existing clients both in Bloomington and Indianapolis, while also helping us as we grow our Municipal Law and Local Government practice group in 2025.”
Bloomington’s corporation counsel Margie Rice might not have an easy time filling Allen’s spot as city attorney.
According to Paganelli, it is a “very, very tight market” for lawyers right now in the whole state of Indiana as well as in Bloomington.
“It’s very difficult to recruit,” Paganelli said. “We’re actually trying to hire another lawyer for our office right now, and it has not been easy.”
