New attorneys will be admitted to practice in Illinois on Thursday, Nov. 9, with Illinois Supreme Court and Illinois Appellate Court justices presiding and administering the attorney's oath to 1,335 new attorneys at five separate locations across the state. 

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 98,000.

The largest group, 1,022, will be admitted in the First Judicial District during two ceremonies at the Arie Crown Theater, located at 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, in Chicago. The ceremonies will be at 9:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis will preside over both ceremonies.

Guests of the morning ceremony will include Dartesia Pitts, president of the Cook County Bar Association; Randy K. Johnson of the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar; and Hon. Cecilia Horan, president of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association. Judge Stuart E. Palmer will move for admission of the class. Judge Robert W. Bertucci will second the motion.

The State of Illinois seeks a public service administrator at the Northern Receiving Correctional Center in Crest Hill to plan, organize, direct, and evaluate the operations of the Preliminary Hearing Program Unit; serve as supervising hearing officer, traveling statewide to attend and/or conduct preliminary and complex hearings; provide technical assistance to the chief legal counsel; serve as a resource to government officials; provide legal opinions, interpretations, and advice; and serve as a full line supervisor.

To be eligible for this position, the applicant must be a graduate of a recognized law school. Requires prior experience equivalent to three years of progressively responsible administrative experience in a public or private legal organization, preferably in the areas of criminal justice or administrative law. Requires the ability to successfully apply learned knowledge and techniques to working environment. Requires working of the agency's program operations and policies. Requires the possession of a license to practice law in Illinois. Applicants must be in, and maintain, good standing with the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

The application deadline is 5 p.m. CT on Wednesday, October 11. 

Officer Michelle Wilgus of the Belvidere Police Department received the ISBA Law Enforcement Award on September 18 during a Belvidere City Council meeting. The award was presented by Julie Johnson, ISBA Board of Governors and attorney at Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa in Chicago.

The ISBA Law Enforcement Award was created to recognize sworn law enforcement officers for conduct that promotes justice and to distinguish those individuals whose service to the public brings honor and respect to the entire criminal justice system. It recognizes those who excel in law enforcement.

Officer Wilgus, who was nominated for the award by Johnson on behalf of the ISBA Standing Committee on Women and the Law, was acknowledged for strengthening the relationship between the Belividere Police Department and the community by starting the ‘Badges with Books’ outreach program.

Joseph Edward “Jock” Heaton Jr., 67, of Dixon, passed away Tuesday, June 27, 2017, at home surrounded by his beloved family, after a brief but courageous battle with cancer.

Jock was born Dec. 19, 1949, the son of Joseph and Mary Elizabeth “Bette” (Elmer) Heaton. He grew up in Dixon, and attended South Central Elementary School and Madison Elementary School. He graduated in 1968 from Dixon High School, where he was active in student government, sports, and music. He attended Indiana University, where he was a proud member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and graduated in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in business economics. He graduated in 1975 from The John Marshall Law School, with a Juris Doctor (JD) degree.