On May 30, in the Mission Santa Clara, Santa Clara Law and the Santa Clara Bar Association hosted a swearing-in ceremony for the newest members of the California Bar.
Professor Devin Kinyon welcomed those assembled, bringing greetings from Dean Kaufman and his faculty colleagues. He congratulated those assembled with a reminder: “Many of you heard me for years say: law school graduation is kind of a fake-out, this is the real end part. And you’re finally here.” He expressed his excitement for the burgeoning lawyers to enter their respective fields of practice, stating in no uncertain terms that “Our profession needs you. We need new lawyers with new ideas with new excitement.”
The Honorable Beth McGowen, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County in California since 2009, added to Professor Kinyon’s excitement: “You walk in here today as successful law students who have passed the bar and are ready to begin your career. […] When you leave here, you will be an officer of the court.” She continued to bestow advice upon what those assembled could expect in court. “As an officer of the court, it means that the court will rely on you. The court will believe you. The court will inquire as to your reputation. […] The court will expect you to be credible, to not put forth an idea or an argument that you really know is not a valid one.”
The Honorable Edward J. Davila J.D. Hon. ’22 District Judge for the Northern District Court of California, offered words of advice to those assembled, noting that “I suggest to you that as you continue in your practice and you develop your legacy as a lawyer […] you’ll remember that first day of class, when you had caution and thought, ‘Why did I do this?’ I suggest to you that the first time that you have a client […] you will then realize why you took the oath you just did to practice law.”
Chris Rosario J.D. ’18, Chair, Barristers, Santa Clara Bar Association, summarized the air of enthusiasm in the historic mission with a simple sentence: “As my firm’s founder—and local legend Jim McManis likes to remind his team, you have joined a noble profession.”
The Honorable Beth McGowen swore those assembled into the California Bar; and the Honorable Edward J. Davila, District Judge for the Northern District Court of California, swore the group into federal court. Other speakers at the event included Richard D. Schramm, President, Santa Clara County Bar Association, and Chris Rosario, Chair, Barristers, Santa Clara County Bar Association.
