New class admitted to state bar

The state of Indiana welcomed dozens of new attorneys to the state bar Tuesday morning during the state’s spring bar admission ceremony.  

While previously held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Tuesday’s ceremony was held at The Palladium at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. About 55 people were admitted into the bar. 

The ceremony was attended by members of the Indiana Supreme Court, Indiana Court of Appeals, Indiana Tax Court and judges from the U.S. District Courts, in addition to bar association and law school leaders. Speakers shared wisdom and encouragement with the state’s newest legal professionals and reflected on the role of attorneys in the United States as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary this year. 

“Starting today, you are entering the legal profession to carry on what our founding fathers created and envisioned to stand the test of time,” Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth Tavitas said. 

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana Judge Justin Olson attended the bar ceremony for the first time as a judge. Olson was confirmed into the federal court in February. 

Olson reminded the new attorneys of the God-given rights they, and the clients they represent, have, which are best summarized in the Declaration of Independence. 

“We protect all life, we preserve liberty, so that we may pursue happiness,” he said. 

He encouraged attorneys to protect these rights by pursuing virtuous lives that inspire others to live the same, and to rely on those they trust when virtue is hard to come by.  

Many of the ceremony’s speakers reflected on the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, marking the United States freedom from tyranny.  

“The framers (of the Declaration) understood something essential, that ideals alone are not enough, that liberty requires guardians, that constitutional government requires institutions, and that justice requires men and women willing to vote themselves to the rule of law,” said Indiana Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Slaughter. “Lawyers have always stood at or near the center of our national story. They helped draft our founding documents. They argued the great legal controversies of every age. They defended liberty in times of crisis, and helped our nation move, however slowly and incrementally, toward the fulfillment of its highest principles.” 

Apart from preparing for cases, clients and arguments, speakers like Judge Gretchen Lund with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana challenged those admitted to the bar Tuesday to go beyond practical advice for the profession and pursue what matters most in the long run.  

“Be respectful, show kindness to your colleagues, to your clients, to the staff, to the court and to your opposing counselor,” she said. “Don’t just be a great lawyer, be a great person too.”