June 2014 Swearing-In Ceremony
Passing the California Bar exam is a landmark achievement for all who accomplish it. For La Verne Law graduates, the ensuing Swearing-in Ceremony marks the end of an ordeal and the start of a career. This year鈥檚 June 2 event held at the Ontario campus featured 19 graduates who passed the February exam. Making the celebration even more noteworthy was the fact that 87.5% of La Verne Law鈥檚 first-time takers passed, the highest success rate in the law school鈥檚 history and 18% above the statewide average of first-time takers from California ABA-approved law schools. 鈥淭he reputation of our law school has been enhanced tremendously by our first-time takers,鈥� said College of Law Dean Gilbert Holmes. Justice Douglas P. Miller, who serves in the state鈥檚 Fourth District Court of Appeal, administered the oath for the California State Bar, while U.S. Magistrate Judge David T. Bristow presided over the honors for the Central District of the United States District Court.
鈥淚n our nation, we have the rule of law only because we have a professional cadre of attorneys to represent the citizenry of this nation in our courts,鈥� said Judge Bristow as he addressed the new attorneys. 鈥淭hat makes you super important to all those people out there.鈥� The formal program concluded with the ceremonial 鈥減assing of the torch.鈥� Tiffany Garrick, representing those who successfully passed the bar exam, presented the torch to Jason Whiteside, who accepted on behalf of those grads preparing for the July exam. 鈥淚 know you and your group can make it through just as I and this amazing group did,鈥� said Garrick. 鈥淎ll that is required is a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication every single day. It will pay off, as all of us here will attest.鈥�
