I am happy to report that I was sworn in as a member of the Massachusetts bar today. It was quite a nice ceremony, although the Clerk was just a bit too voluble. My husband had to leave early, so he didn’t get a photo of me accepting my license, but he did get a nice shot of me swearing to uphold the constitutions of Massachusetts and of the United States.
The most amazing part for me is the realization, at the age of 34, that I may actually have taken my last exam ever. With fourteen years of post-high school education, it feels very strange to think that I may never go to school again.
Congrats ENugent! I was sworn in as a member of the NY bar yesterday
You get an actual license? Here they just say, “Well, you can practice law now.” We can get bar scroll/diplomas here, but they’re not necessary for legal practice and are mainly just for show. $25.00 and a 6-8 month wait gets you a scroll
My dad couldn’t be at the swearing in because he was having surgery, and the rest of my familiy were all working yesterday. I kind of viewed it as merely a formality after graduating law school and passing the bar, but seeing all the happy families around me as I quietly made my way out after the ceremony made me wish that some loved ones could have come to see it
I have a certificate, signed by the Clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court, saying that I have been found duly qualified, have taken and subscribed the oaths required by law, and have been admitted to practice as an Attorney and as a Counsellor at Law in any of the Courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I guess that’s my license. I don’t know if I need the piece of paper, but you do need to appear in court and swear the oaths in order to practice here.
Thanks for the congratulations/condolences. I doubt that I will ever see the inside of a courtroom, given my current practice (I’ve been a patent agent for five years, now a patent attorney), but you never know…
Me three. My license just arrived, signed by the whole entire Supreme Court of Texas. Now all I gotta do is take that oath. Apparently, in Texas, a notary public can do it, so I don’t have to hunt down a judge or anything. A friend where my girlfriend works is a notary, so I think I’ll ask her to do it. And then we can have cake! Mmmmm, cake!
In NY, they have us doing CLE before even being admitted…we had an orientation last week, required for bar admission, that counted for 1 1/2 CLE credits.
I’ve sworn in a number of bars over the years, does that count here?
Congratulations to all the new legal meat out there. You realize that this simply opens you up to all the best lawyer jokes now, right? The ones you had to put up with in law school were just the tip of the iceberg.
You can all be my friend - as long as your on MY side of the court room.
