Justice David K. Overstreet of the Illinois Supreme Court will administer the attorney’s oath to 12 new lawyers on May 6 in the Fifth Judicial District.
The event is part of a statewide bar admission ceremony where a total of 279 individuals will be sworn in and admitted to practice law in Illinois across five Supreme Court judicial districts. The ceremony for the Fifth Judicial District will take place at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, beginning at 2 p.m.
Justice Overstreet will preside over the proceedings, with Laura Beasley, Chair of the Fifth District Character and Fitness Committee; Sarah Taylor from the Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors; and J. Nelson Wood, Chairperson of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, scheduled as speakers. William Richardson, former Deputy Chief Counsel for the Department of Corrections, will move to admit the class with Jerome McDonald seconding.
Guests are expected to include Fifth District Appellate Court Justice James Hackett; Chief Judge Mark Bovard from the Fifth Judicial Circuit; Associate Judge Alana Mejias from Twentieth Judicial Circuit; Judge Bradley Paisley from Fourth Judicial Circuit; and Judge Jo Beth Weber from Second Judicial Circuit. After ruling on motions and administering oaths, Justice Overstreet will deliver remarks followed by a reception hosted by the Illinois State Bar Association.
All candidates have passed both an ethics examination and the Illinois State Bar Examination and were certified by the Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness. Additional ceremonies are scheduled for Chicago, Elgin, Joliet, and Springfield on Wednesday.
The Fifth Judicial District covers 48 counties including Alexander, Bond, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay Clinton among others.
The Illinois Bar Association promotes diversity and inclusion among attorneys according to its official website. It also utilizes its Bar Center for administrative purposes according to its official website, recognizes excellence through awards according to its official website, serves more than 28,000 members according to its official website, supports lawyers through education resources according to its official website, and operates under elected leadership structures according to its official website.
