Increasing access to justice was a common goal among many of Ohio’s 801 new attorneys recently sworn into the bar.

Kelze Riley, a recent University of Cincinnati Law School graduate, has known it was her calling to help others as a lawyer since she was 8 years old.

She recalls seeing the first Black president, Barack Obama, and his wife, Michelle, on TV and feeling hope for her community. Their journey to the White House started with careers as attorneys.

“Lawyers mean so much to the community,” said Riley. “They can do so much.”

Her own legal career will begin as a labor and employment law attorney in Cincinnati.

Riley hopes to help increase access to justice, especially in Black communities, which hold a special place in her heart.

“I know that I can impact people,” said Riley.

Natalie Housley, also a Cincinnati graduate, was first introduced to the courts when her brother participated in a mental health court to treat his addiction.

That experience inspired her to change her career trajectory. Instead of teaching in an elementary school, she applied to law school so she could one day help make treatment courts accessible to greater demographics.

“I just felt like I could do more to help the world,” Housley said.

Housley is following a similar path to Riley. She to will begin her career in Cincinnati as a labor and employment attorney.

“I want to help the working class,” she said.

Achieving their goals of becoming attorneys didn’t come without some of the hardest work of their lives.

Justice Jennifer Brunner recognized the sacrifice many of the new attorneys made while studying law.

“You’ve endured countless hours of study, juggling work and family responsibilities. You’ve tested yourself to reach a goal that at times I am sure seemed very far away,” said Justice Brunner. “I have been an attorney for 41 years. I still remember what many of you have gone through and feel on this day, and I too brought a child to my swearing in who was not quite 2 years old, so what an immense accomplishment.”

On behalf of the Supreme Court and Ohio State Bar Association, Justice Brunner thanked each new bar admittee for their dedication and wished them the best as they begin their legal careers.

“Not a lot of people achieve this. It’s so hard,” said Riley. “I’m just so grateful to be here.”

Another classmate from UC, Brandon Yang, said he faced a lot of self-doubt while attending law school but now feels a big sense of relief to be admitted to the bar.

“It all seems like such a blur getting to this point,” he said. “You don’t always have a lot of time to take it in because you’re always studying.”

Yang now looks forward to helping other people as a lawyer and giving back to the community.

For Riley, it was the community she built in Cincinnati while away from her friends and family that got her through the challenges of law school.

“I leaned on the community I built in Cincinnati,” she said. “I just couldn’t have done it without all those people.”

Riley’s family believed in her all the way through law school and surrounded her on her big day to celebrate her great achievements.

“If you knew her when she was 8, you would not be surprised,” said Riley’s mother, Michelle Higginbotham.

Before concluding the ceremony, Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy asked the attorneys to rise and thank the friends and relatives in the room who supported them on their journey.

She also asked the new lawyers who live outside of Ohio’s seven largest counties to return to their hometowns and help fill the attorney gap. In 81 of Ohio’s 88 counties, there are not enough attorneys to meet the needs of the population. That leaves 6.5 million people underserved.

“Please consider going home,” said Chief Justice Kennedy. “Serve the legal needs of the families and the less fortunate in those areas.”