Karmeier to administer oath to 94 new lawyers

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier will preside and administer the attorney's oath when 94 new lawyers are admitted to practice in ceremonies in Carbondale on Nov. 5.

The group is among 2,314 men and women who were certified as candidates and will be sworn in as attorneys at ceremonies in the state's five Supreme Court judicial districts, according to a press release from the Illinois Supreme Court.

The new attorneys will bring the total number of licensed attorneys in Illinois to approximately 86,000.

The Carbondale program in the Fifth Judicial District will begin at 2 p.m. in the auditorium of the Lesar School of Law Building, which is located on the campus of Southern Illinois University.

Karmeier will preside over the ceremony and welcome the members of the class to the practice of law.

John Thies, third vice-president of the Illinois State Bar Association, will be the opening speaker. Thies is a member of Webber & Thies, P.C., a Champaign-Urbana law firm. SIU School of Law Dean Frank Houdek will also speak.

Other guests of the Illinois Supreme Court will be Chief Judge Mark H. Clarke from the 1st Judicial Circuit; Circuit Judges Melissa Drew and Terry H. Gamber, both from the 2nd Judicial Circuit; and Associate Judges Robert W. Lewis from the 2nd Judicial Circuit and Dennis Middendorf from the 4th Judicial Circuit.

Granite City attorney Gregory Becker will make the motion to admit the class. His son, Nathan, is a member of the class.

A reception will follow.

All of the candidates have passed the Illinois State Bar Examination and an ethics examination; and were certified by the Committee on Character and Fitness.