October 05, 2018
Illinois Supreme Court chief justice to induct SIU law students
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier will preside over the induction ceremony next week for first-year law students in the Southern Illinois University School of Law.
The ceremony for members of the Class of 2021 is at 6 p.m., Oct. 11, in the Hiram H. Lesar Law Building auditorium.
This is the law school’s 18th annual ceremony. It starts with a reception at 5 p.m. in the law school’s formal lounge.
Media Advisory
Reporters, photographers and camera crews are welcome to attend the ceremony at the SIU School of Law. For more information, contact Michele Mekel, director of external relations, at 618/453-8768.
Chief Justice Karmeier to preside
Karmeier was selected as the court’s chief justice in 2016. Elected to the state’s highest court in 2004, Karmeier, a one-time Washington County state’s attorney, served as resident circuit judge in the 20th Judicial Circuit from 1986 to 2004.
Karmeier earned his bachelor’s degree in 1962 and his law degree in 1964, both from the University of Illinois.
Ceremony recognizes students becoming part of legal profession
First-year students will recite a “Statement of Professional Commitment,” an oath they draft themselves. The induction ceremony and professionalism pledge are part of a nationally recognized Professionalism and the Law class at the law school.
Throughout the year, students participate in a series of workshops related to legal ethics and other professionalism issues. Some of the workshops include practicing attorneys and judges discussing what it means to be in the profession, expectations and common ethical considerations.
First law school in Illinois to create program
The induction ceremony gives first-year students an opportunity “to reflect on what it means to become a member of the legal profession,” Cindy Buys, interim law school dean, said.
The students’ declaration sets forth their view of their obligations to the legal profession, their clients and themselves, said Buys, adding that members of the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Professionalism continue to support the program.
“The SIU School of Law is very proud to be the first law school to create such a program, and it has been much imitated since its inception,” Buys said.