A few days after being sworn into the bar, I was asked to go from Urbana to Petersburg, the county seat of Menard County, to present a matter in a partition case that our office was handling.

At the time, I was reading Carl Sandburg's multi-volume work on Lincoln, so I knew of the Ann Rutledge-Lincoln connection in Petersburg, and I also knew that New Salem was nearby.

After appearing in court, I decided to go to the local cemetery and see if I could find the grave of Ann Rutledge. It was cold, the wind was blowing, and it was about to snow, but I found the grave – and as I stood there I thought about the great man who wanted so much to be a lawyer.

Then I went a few miles away to New Salem, where I pondered how anyone who had gone through his early life could have done what he did. Like many of you, I thought that the least I could do was try to be like Lincoln in terms of his loyalty to his clients and his admiration for the Rule of Law.

In reflecting on my 50 years at the bar, I am proud to be a part of a profession composed of individuals who are especially equipped by training and experience, who are part of the judicial branch of government, who are under a duty to advocate and protect the rights of people, and who are bonded together by a code of ethics imposing the highest standards of conduct in dealing with clients, lawyers, judges and the public.

As members of the legal profession, we have been committed to a cause that transcends our own self-interest. We have had and do have a responsibility to improve the administration of justice, to fight for an independent judiciary, to advocate for justice, human dignity and the Rule of Law.

I have seen these things and more from the lawyers with whom I have worked during my professional career. They are lawyers like you who have worked within the profession to preserve integrity, competence, fairness, independence, courage and devotion to the public interest.

They are lawyers like you who have recognized that we are guardians of the Rule of Law and as such must be devoted to the professional principles of high standards, integrity and self-discipline.

The cores of our profession – of loyalty to our clients, confidentiality, fiduciary responsibility, competence and ability, community service and providing pro bono legal services, avoidance of conflicts, respect for and commitment to the Rule of Law and high ethical standards – are sacred and set us apart from others.

As 50-year members of our profession, it is my hope that we will continue to encourage others that these values be protected, that they be cherished, and that they not be diluted for any reason.