Supreme Court certifies 11 lawyers from Berks
COURTESY OF BERKS COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION Attorney Howard M. Lightman, center front row, with a delegation of Berks County lawyers
on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court last month. The others were certified by the court to try cases there. From left, the lawyers are: front row, Linda Faye Epes, Susan N. Denaro, Lightman, Jill M. Scheidt and Julie E. Ravis; middle row, Todd J. Cook, Tonya A. Butler and Andrew F. Fick; and back row, Peter F. Schuchman, E. Michael Zubey and Joseph A. Guillama. Also admitted but missing from the photo is Cheryl Rowe. Lightman is president of the Berks County Bar Association and was certified to practice before the high court earlier.
Jill M. Scheidt rose and stood proudly as her name was called during a ceremonial session of the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and six associate justices convened the session in the nation’s capital. “It was a very auspicious occasion,” said Scheidt, 42, a Wyomissing attorney. “It made me proud to be a lawyer.” On Nov. 16, Scheidt and 10 other Berks County attorneys took an oath that entitles them to practice law before the Supreme Court. It was the first time in 10 years the Berks County Bar Association sent a delegation to Washington for the ceremonial swearing-in. “In the legal profession, Supreme Court justices are like rock stars,” said Donald F. Smith Jr., bar association executive director. “To be in the same room with seven of the nine justices is a professional high.” Howard M. Lightman, president of the Berks bar, petitioned the high court to admit the Berks attorneys. Reading each lawyer’s name aloud, Lightman certified that they were in good standing and members of the Pennsylvania bar. Roberts approved Lightman’s motion, and the Clerk of Courts issued the oath. In unison, the Berks attorneys responded, “I do.” It’s unlikely that any of the Berks lawyers will ever argue a case before the Supreme Court, but the certification affords them the privilege of being able to sit inside the bar while the court is in session. Scheidt, a bar association vice president, retains a lasting image of the proceedings. “It was very serious, very formal and very impressive,” she said. “It’s something I’m never going to forget.”
Posted by rkslawfirm on Dec 11, 2009
