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’s 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’s first-time takers passed, the highest success rate in the law school’s history and 18% above the statewide average of first-time takers from California ABA-approved law schools. “The reputation of our law school has been enhanced tremendously by our first-time takers,” said College of Law Dean Gilbert Holmes. Justice Douglas P. Miller, who serves in the state’s 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.

“In 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,” said Judge Bristow as he addressed the new attorneys. “That makes you super important to all those people out there.” The formal program concluded with the ceremonial “passing of the torch.” 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. “I know you and your group can make it through just as I and this amazing group did,” said Garrick. “All 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.”