As I remarked in an earlier bankruptcy blog, this first third of 2008 has been a really mixed bag of news, with good and bad news coming from every direction. As a bankruptcy attorney in Indiana, it’s important for me to stay on top of happenings in our state that can affect not only my own family, but all my bankruptcy clients from different parts of Indiana. Happily, when it comes to the job market in the past two weeks, I’ve been hearing a lot more good news than bad.

In Plainfield, the news has to do with MD Logistics, which is a warehousing, distribution, and transportation company. MD announced recently that it will be hiring 80 new workers to help handle its newest client Audiovox.

On the northwest side of Indianapolis, DCL Medical Laboratories announced some good news of its own. The company plans to hire an additional 125 workers, to help keep up with demand from doctors’ offices and pharmaceutical company customer needs. DCL formed a strategic partnership with Third Wave, a molecular diagnostics products manufacturer in Wisconsin. Third Wave will keep a research lab at DCL’s facility in Indianapolis and do joint research with DCL..

There was good news to savor from Michigan City, Indiana as well. (With four offices serving 68 counties, I’m always on the lookout for economic news in all parts of our state.) Trainor Glass, an Illinois-based company that manufactures and installs custom glass doors and storefronts, is expanding its national drafting center in Michigan City, which will mean as many as 25 new jobs there.

A growing job market in our state is a very important piece of the work I do with bankruptcy clients. The ability to get a new job after a layoff is key in deciding whether a Chapter 13 bankruptcy repayment plan will succeeds for a client. The opportunity for a single mom who has been a homemaker for the past few years to get back into the work force following a divorce is an important key to what options will be open to her following bankruptcy. Whether it is possible for families to stay in their home and avoid foreclosure in large part depends on the job market. So, as you can tell, this was a good news two weeks for me as a consumer bankruptcy specialist and bankruptcy attorney in Indiana. We could all use more news items like these!