CARBONDALE, Ill. — Cindy Buys’ empathy and passion for community service and helping others comes from the deep sense of faith she developed while growing up.
That foundation blossomed into a desire to serve her community.
“I think sometimes when we are young, we think we are going to change the world,” said Buys, SIU Simmons Law School professor and the 2026 Lindell W. Sturgis Award recipient. “But what I’ve learned is what is important to me is to make my corner of the world a better place.”
Local bar associations in Southern Illinois made a big impact in their small communities this holiday season, showing that rural practice isn’t just about providing legal services. At its December meeting, the Williamson County Bar Association announced that its members had raised a total of $1,235 for Gum Drops, NFP, a Carterville nonprofit organization that provides weekend food packages for at-risk children in Southern Illinois.
On November 5, 2025, new attorneys were sworn into the practice of law in Illinois during ceremonies held across all five judicial districts. The Fifth Judicial District was split into two ceremonies—Carbondale and Champaign. Justice David K. Overstreet administered the oath to 37 new attorneys at the Southern Illinois University School of Law Auditorium, located at 1150 Douglas Drive in Carbondale.
Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors Member Tom Speedie served as the speaker for the Fifth Judicial District ceremony in Carbondale.
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Law school students from around the country will compete this weekend as the Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School hosts the National Health Law Moot Court competition, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, to argue a fictitious case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Twenty-two teams from 15 schools across the country will participate in the 34th Health Law Moot Court — the only mock U.S. Supreme Court competition dedicated to the always evolving and expanding topic of health law.
CARBONDALE, Ill. — With an evidence-based, individualized and comprehensive approach, Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School is enjoying significant increases in first-time passage rates for recent graduates sitting for bar exams.
In Illinois, 77% of 2025 graduates who took the Illinois State Bar Exam in July for the first time passed on the first attempt, while in Missouri, 86% of SIU graduates who took the test passed the first time. Both results are nearly 15 percentage points higher than first-time test results for 2024 graduates.
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Even with a 25% increase in first-year students at the Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School from a year ago, Dean Hannah Brenner Johnson and her staff already are on the recruiting trail for students who want to be a part of the Class of 2029.
CARBONDALE, Il. — More than 250 Southern Illinois University Carbondale first-year professional students confronted and discussed current ethical legal and medical issues together at the SIU Simmons Law School.
CARBONDALE, Ill. — A discussion on the effect that recent federal mandates involving education and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have on state-level efforts highlight Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s observation of Constitution Day on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
“Education and DEI Initiatives: State vs. Federal,” is from noon to 1 p.m. in Morris Library’s John C. Guyon Auditorium. The panel discussion is free and open to the public.
The panelists are: