Karmeier
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier presided and administered the attorney's oath as 115 new attorneys were admitted to practice in a ceremony in Collinsville on May 7.
The group was among 616 men and women who were certified as candidates and were sworn in as Illinois attorneys at ceremonies in the state's five Supreme Court judicial districts.
The Collinsville program in the Fifth Judicial District began at 2 p.m. at the Gateway Convention Center, which is located near the intersection of Route 157 and Interstates 55/70 in Collinsville.
Justice Karmeier presided over the ceremony and welcomed the members of the class, families and friends.
Jack Carey, president of the Illinois State Bar Association, was scheduled to be the opening speaker. A Belleville lawyer who practices personal injury and labor law, Carey also is president of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation.
John P. Long, board member of the Illinois State Board of Admissions to the Bar, was also scheduled to speak. He is an attorney with Belsheim & Bruckert in O'Fallon, specializing in municipal law, appellate practice, real estate and wills, trusts and estate planning.
Fourth Judicial Circuit Judge Kathleen Moran made the motion to admit the class.
Other guests of the Illinois Supreme Court were retired Illinois Supreme Court Justice Philip Rarick; St. Clair County Circuit Judge Annette Eckert and Madison County Associate Judge Stephen Stobbs.
The new attorneys will bring the total number of licensed attorneys in Illinois to approximately 86,000.