He was admitted to the Illinois bar on September 9, 1836, and moved to Springfield and began to practice law under John T. Stuart, Mary Todd's cousin.
hiː wʌz ɐdmˈɪɾᵻd tə ðɪ ˌɪlənˈɔɪ bˈɑːɹ ˌɔn sɛptˈɛmbɚ nˈaɪn, wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi sˈɪks, ænd mˈuːvd tə spɹˈɪŋfiːld ænd bɪɡˈæn tə pɹˈæktɪs lˈɔː ˌʌndɚ dʒˈɑːn tˈiː. stˈuːɚt, mˈɛɹi tˈɑːdz kˈʌzən.