New lawyers admitted to the Indiana bar

Telling them that it is a “good day to become a lawyer,” Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush welcomed Indiana’s newest attorneys to the Indiana bar and oversaw the admission ceremony Tuesday that included the recitation of oaths to practice before the state courts and U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana.

Court dignitaries and bar association leaders, along with family and friends, watched as 123 men and women stepped to the microphone to introduce themselves to members of the Indiana Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and judges from the U.S. District Court’s Northern and Southern Districts. The majority of those being admitted at the May 19 ceremony passed the February 2015 bar exam.

As Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller made the motion for admission of applicants, he advised the new lawyers to find a way to remind themselves each day of the oath they were about to take. Many like to frame the oath and read it regularly, he told the group; he makes it a habit to read Saint Thomas More’s Lawyer’s Prayer daily. He included the patron saint of lawyer’s prayer in his remarks.

Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, speaking following the administration of the oath to practice in the Southern District of Indiana, told the group that while they are entering a legal atmosphere very different than the one she entered in 1984, it is a very exciting time, perhaps one of the greatest. The educational and technological skills this group possesses, along with the differences, intellect and insight, she said, make them well-matched to the challenges of today.  

Indiana Court of Appeals Chief Judge Nancy Vaidik, Northern District Magistrate Judge Paul Cherry, Supreme Court Justice Robert Rucker, and Indiana State Bar Association Young Lawyers Section chair Matthew Light also offered advice to the group.

Speaking about the difficult job climate some may face, Rucker concluded: “There’s always room for good lawyers.”