He has served in various leadership roles within the bar and actively advocates for justice, equality, and inclusion. He has served as counsel to the president of the Indiana State Bar Association and is a past-president of the Kimbrough Bar Association. Irving is also the president-elect of the Lake County Bar Association and chair of its outreach committee. He previously had a presidential appointment to the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Specialization and served as chair. From 2012 to 2021, he was an Indiana supreme court appointee to the Commission on Continuing Legal Education and served as chair in 2020 and 2021. He also volunteers on the Indiana Supreme Court’s Character and Fitness Committee.
Irving is passionate about making a difference and bringing positive change in both the courtroom and the classroom. His greatest service to the community has been in his role as a single foster parent. In fact, he had been in this role since 2006 when, as a 32-year-old single man, he took in a family of four siblings ranging in age from two to eight with his grandmother. He adopted all four of them in March 2015. Moreover, Irving has provided respite and foster care and other services to nearly 60 children directly in the state of Indiana.
For his community service and legal skills, he has received countless awards and honors; he was selected as Foster Parent of the Year in 2007 and has been recognized by the Indiana Pacers (Indiana Hero) and the Indianapolis Colts (Anthem Angel). Irving has also received numerous honors as an attorney: In 2010, he was selected by the Indiana State Bar Association as an Outstanding Young Lawyer; in 2007, he was selected by the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana as an Outstanding Young Lawyer and was a recipient of the Leadership in Law Award and recognized as an Up and Coming Lawyer by Indiana Lawyer.
Indiana University has recognized Irving with the Charlie Nelms Alumni Award, the Maurer School of Law Distinguished Service Award, the Bicentennial Medal, the Volunteer Leadership Award, and the Thomas J. Hennessy Award. In June 2022, he received one of Indiana’s highest civilian honors, the Sagamore of the Wabash, from Governor Eric J. Holcomb.
