New Indiana attorneys sworn in during admission ceremony

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The state’s legal profession welcomed 312 new lawyers to its ranks Monday during an admission ceremony hosted by the Indiana Supreme Court.

Recent law graduates, their families and friends, and members of Indiana’s legal community and judiciary gathered in the Sagamore Ballroom of the Indiana Convention Center at 10 a.m. to witness admittees take their final step in becoming a lawyer. Clerk of Indiana’s appellate courts Kevin Smith administered the state oath, while U.S. Southern District Court Clerk Laura Briggs and Northern District Court Clerk Robert N. Trgovich, respectively, administered the oaths to admittees planning to practice in each federal District Court.

Quoting Shakespeare’s “Henry VI,” Indiana Court of Appeals Chief Judge Nancy Vaidik opened her remarks with, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” That might seem an odd thing to say on a day like today, she told a crowd of hundreds, and then went on to explain that Shakespeare’s remarks were, in reality, a compliment to lawyers. The words were spoken by a band of hooligans seeking to overthrow the government, she explained, and the best way to do that was to eliminate the keepers of the law. It underscored the important role lawyers play in society.

Judges and justices speaking at the ceremony reiterated the importance of maintaining one’s personal integrity and practicing restraint as a practicing lawyer. They pointed to the oath of attorneys as guiding principles to follow.

Of those sworn in Monday, 304 passed the bar exam administered in July. Eight passed the February 2015 exam.

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