Ceremony Recognizes La Verne Law Grads who passed July State Bar Exam

Years of hard work, months of endless studying leading up to three excruciating days of testing, followed by more months of waiting came to a successful and joyous conclusion on December 1. For 15 University of La Verne College of Law graduates who recently learned they passed the July 2014 California State Bar exam, the commitment and determination paid off as they swore oaths of office for both the State Bar and the Central Federal District Court in a special ceremony at the law school’s Ontario campus.

Taking the oaths made each graduate official officers of the court. For Lisa Cho, the event provided both a joyous conclusion and a celebratory beginning.

“I start work tomorrow,” said Cho, a new attorney at Garcia & Reed LLP in Riverside. “It’s the beginning of my professional career.”

In all, 19 of 29 La Verne Law graduates who took the bar exam for the first time in July passed – a 66 percent success rate. And when combined with the February 2014 results – which featured a pass rate 19 points above the statewide average for first-time takers from ABA-approved law schools – La Verne Law graduates finished the year with a 73% first-time pass rate.

“The people you see here are the product of a lot of hard work, commitment and dedication,” said La Verne Law Dean Gilbert Holmes. “They have successfully traveled the journey from students at orientation to licensed attorneys in the state of California.”

One major factor involved in the recent bar pass success at La Verne Law has been the resources the law school has provided through its Center for Academic & Bar Readiness (CABR). Along with assisting students throughout their academic careers, the Center also provides a customized post-graduation bar review. The Bar Exam Strategic Training (BEST) program is available to La Verne Law graduates at no additional charge.

While Assistant Dean Jendayi Saada could not attend the Swearing-In Ceremony because of knee surgery earlier that day, Dean Holmes praised her and the CABR staff for their essential contributions to student success from orientation to beyond graduation.

“Our Center is unique in the country because we take a proactive approach to bar support. Most centers like ours identify those students who are not doing well and provide them with academic support,” Holmes said. “We embed academic and bar readiness into our curriculum, making no assumption that someone needs or does not need support. That approach gives our students the greatest opportunity for success.”

Andrew Salera, one of the 19 who passed the bar exam on his first attempt, credited CABR for his accomplishment.

“It was amazing. I could not have done it without the support of everyone here at the College of Law, especially the Center for Academic & Bar Readiness,” said Salera, who is volunteering in the San Bernardino County Public Defender’s Office. “As of today, I am a volunteer attorney. I am getting great experience, being in court every day and absolutely loving it. They open up hiring in January and I’ll see what happens from there.”

U.S. Magistrate Judge David Bristow, who administered the oath of office for the Central Federal District Court, encouraged the graduates to remember the goals and passions that made them want to become lawyers.

“I have had just about every legal job you can possibly have, which I believe is not a bad thing,” Bristow said. “My point is, never give up. If you have a goal and want to do something, figure out a way to do it.

“People forget: To be a nation of laws, you must have lawyers.”

Justice Douglas Miller of the Fourth District Court of Appeals administered the California State Bar oath. He reminded the new attorneys that none of them had achieved this success without help.

“There are a number of people who made this all possible, including all the lawyers who came before you,” Miller said. “No one becomes a lawyer by himself. There are many, many people – including those closest to you – who provided the opportunity for you to be here tonight.

“All the lawyers who came before you – you stand on their shoulders. These are lawyers who have been at it for many, many years and who helped make it possible for you to be one among them. Never forget that this is an honorable profession. Be proud to be part of it.”

You can view the Swearing-In Ceremony online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAjjTwS6lrU.