Indiana celebrates 66 new attorneys in bar admission ceremony
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Sixty-six new attorneys were admitted to the Indiana bar on Tuesday during a ceremony at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in downtown Indianapolis.
The newest law school graduates were celebrated by justices with the Indiana Supreme Court, judges with the Indiana Court of Appeals, dignitaries in the legal community, and loved ones in the audience.
Court of Appeals Chief Judge Robert Altice told the audience that out of 6.8 million residents in Indiana, only around 19,000 are lawyers. In taking the oath, they join a special group of Hoosiers, he said.
Included in the newest cohort are five students from the Purdue Global Law School, all of whom passed the Indiana bar exam successfully on their first attempt.
In July 2024, the Indiana Supreme Court amended Admission and Discipline Rule 13, which created a path for Purdue Global’s law school graduates to become eligible for the state bar exam. Previously, Purdue Global graduates could only sit for the exam in California upon graduation.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita also joined the celebration, emphasizing how important the role of an attorney is, not only to individual clients, but to how we function as a free nation.
“All of you here in some way are protecting the Constitution,” he said.
Throughout the ceremony, several speakers provided advice to the new attorneys.
Judge James Hanlon with the U.S. District Court of Southern Indiana gave graduates three pieces of advice to take with them in their jobs: holding themselves accountable to the calling of the law, taking time to acknowledge each significant accomplish and refusing to compromise their integrity no matter the client or situation.
He suggested they display their oath certificate to constantly remind themselves of what they committed to when they became a lawyer.
In closing remarks, Indiana Supreme Court Justice Christopher Goff referenced Abraham Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech from 1858 to emphasize how our society is divided in many ways over certain core interests.
“Faith in the fairness and impartiality of our legal system, like faith in our other institutions, has diminished,” Goff said. “Some no longer accept that judges are impartial umpires, or that lawyers are out for anything other than a fee. I believe such views present a grave threat to the rule of law, and I believe them to be unfounded.”
He said that, amid division, attorneys have the opportunity to alter the discourse for the better.
“We live in a divided time, we live in a time that can be dark and cruel, but we as lawyers, like Lincoln before us, have an alternative to offer to our friends and neighbors,” he said. “We offer a way of resolving conflict peacefully, we offer a way of living together and mutually benefiting each other and benefiting our communities. We offer the rule of law.”