Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois Appellate Court will administer the attorney’s oath to 476 new attorneys on Thursday, May 4, at five separate locations across the state. The largest group, 327, will be admitted in the First Judicial District during three ceremonies at the James R. Thompson Center Assembly Hall, located at 100 W. Randolph St., in Chicago. The ceremonies will be at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 2:30 p.m. Media coverage is invited. All of the candidates set to be sworn in have passed the Illinois State Bar Examination and a required ethics examination and were certified by the Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness. They will bring the total number of licensed attorneys in Illinois to approximately 96,700. Appellate Justice Margaret S. McBride will preside over the 9 a.m. ceremony. Guests of the morning ceremony will include Natalie Howse, president of the Cook County Bar Association; and Hariklia Karis, president of the Hellenic Bar Association. Sharon Strickland will move for admission of the class. Justice Charles E. Freeman and Appellate Justice Cynthia Y. Cobbs will preside over the 11:30 a.m. ceremony. Guests of the second First District ceremony will include Hon. Russell Hartigan, president-elect of the Illinois State Bar Association; and Claudia Castro, president of the Hispanic Lawyers Association. Justice Cobbs will move for admission of the class. Justice Mary Jane Theis will preside over the 2:30 p.m. ceremony.

The Illinois Supreme Court has adopted a statewide policy statement for pretrial services. The statewide policy statement is a continuation of the advancement of pretrial services in Illinois. "This policy statement seeks to serve as a guide for all of our trial courts," Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier said. "The goal of pretrial services is to reduce the pretrial incarceration rate while ensuring that defendants comply with approved pretrial release. This process includes the application of a validated pretrial risk assessment tool which aids judges in making research-based decisions about whether defendants should be detained or released prior to their criminal trials.” The statement is as follows:

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