Illinois Swears In 63 New Lawyers Wednesday

Justice Lisa Holder White administers the attorney's oath at two Springfield ceremonies as 1,572 candidates are admitted statewide.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Law

Illinois Swears In 63 New Lawyers Wednesday

Justice Lisa Holder White of the Illinois Supreme Court will administer the attorney's oath to 63 new lawyers across two ceremonies in Springfield on Wednesday, November 4. The statewide bar admission process admits 1,572 individuals across the state's five judicial districts.

Why it matters

The ceremonies mark the formal admission of new attorneys to practice law in Illinois after they passed the Illinois State Bar Examination, a required ethics examination, and certification by the Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness. They add a large cohort of licensed lawyers to the state's legal workforce.

Of the 1,572 individuals admitted to practice law in Illinois, 63 are being sworn in at two Fourth Judicial District ceremonies in Springfield on Wednesday. The remaining candidates are being admitted at ceremonies in the state's other judicial districts.

The players

Lisa Holder White

Lisa Holder White is a justice of the Illinois Supreme Court who administers the attorney's oath to new lawyers during bar admission ceremonies.

Illinois State Bar Association

The Illinois State Bar Association is the state's principal voluntary bar organization for attorneys, and it hosts a reception after each admission ceremony.

The details

Bar admission ceremonies are being held in all five of the state's Supreme Court judicial districts. The Fourth Judicial District, which is composed of 41 counties, holds ceremonies in Springfield, Chicago, Elgin, Joliet, Carbondale, and Champaign, and the Illinois State Bar Association hosts a reception after each ceremony.

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026: 63 new lawyers are sworn in across two Fourth District ceremonies.
9:30 a.m. Nov. 4, 2026: The first Fourth District ceremony begins at the Supreme Court Building in Springfield.
1:30 p.m. Nov. 4, 2026: The second Fourth District ceremony begins at the Supreme Court Building in Springfield.

Legal Context

The ceremonies are the final step of the Illinois State Bar Examination and the ethics examination, both of which candidates must pass before certification by the Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness. The sworn-in lawyers enter practice under that established state licensing framework.

Residents who need legal representation in Illinois will gain access to 63 newly sworn-in attorneys from these two Springfield ceremonies. The ceremonies also add to the statewide pool of 1,572 newly admitted lawyers across the state's five judicial districts.

The takeaway

Anyone seeking a lawyer in Illinois now has a larger pool of newly licensed attorneys, since 1,572 candidates were admitted statewide. Checking an attorney's standing through official state channels before hiring is a practical step for anyone looking for representation.