September 29, 2006
Induction ceremony set for first-year law students
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Irene F. Bahr, president of the Illinois State Bar Association, will preside over the induction ceremony for first-year students in the Southern Illinois University School of Law.
The event, set for Friday, Oct. 6, in the Carbondale Community High School auditorium, begins with a reception at 5 p.m. The ceremony starts at 6 p.m. The event is free, and the public is welcome to attend.
This is the law school's sixth annual induction ceremony.
Bahr will join the 120 first-year students in reciting their oath of professionalism. Fifth District Appellate Court Justice Stephen L. Spomer, a former chief judge of the First Judicial Circuit, will administer the oath.
Bahr, the featured guest, is a sole practitioner in Wheaton. Her practice concentrates on state, local and federal regulatory and disciplinary matters relating to the licensing and sale of alcoholic beverages and related litigation, according to a release from the Illinois State Bar Association.
She received her bachelor's degree with honors from the University of Illinois in 1971, and her law degree, cum laude, from DePaul University College of Law in 1977.
The induction ceremony starts Homecoming weekend festivities for the law school, which include reunions for the graduating classes from 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001.
First-year students will recite a "Statement of Professional Commitment," an oath that they drafted themselves. The induction ceremony and professionalism pledge are part of a nationally recognized Professional Development Workshop in place at the law school.
Prior to the ceremony, students participate in a series of workshops related to legal ethics and other professionalism issues. The workshops included attorneys and judges discussing with students what it means to be in the profession, expectations and common ethical considerations.
Achieving excellence in graduate and professional programs is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.
Irene F. Bahr
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