Local Courts and Bar Associations to Host California Bar Admission Ceremony on Tuesday, December 10, 2024

The Fourth District Court of Appeal, the San Diego Superior Court and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California will host a Special Joint Session at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, to administer the Oath of Office for the induction of new attorneys to the practice of law in California.

Upon passing the challenging California Bar Examination, new attorneys, as required by California Business and Professions Code section 6067, take an oath that they will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California and that they will act with “dignity, courtesy and integrity.”

This month’s ceremony marks the return to a large-scale celebration which last occurred in 2019. The celebration will take place in the ballroom at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter Hotel, and involves all local courts and the state, county and federal bar associations.

“The justices of the Fourth District are pleased to join once again with our colleagues of the state and federal trial courts and to welcome to the profession our new attorneys,” said Fourth District Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Judith McConnell.

“We are excited to welcome new attorneys into the legal profession, recognize their years of hard work in getting to this moment and celebrate this remarkable achievement,” said San Diego Superior Court Presiding Judge Maureen F. Hallahan.

“This is a momentous occasion for new attorneys and their families. It is only fitting that we welcome them into our country’s noblest profession in grand style through this special session of court,” said U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dana Sabraw.

The Special Joint Session is planned to include comments from the Fourth District Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Judith McConnell, State Bar of California Trustee Mattheus Stephens, San Diego County Bar Association President Stacey Kartchner, San Diego Superior Court Presiding Judge Maureen F. Hallahan, Federal Bar Association President Blake Currey, and U.S. District Court Judge Cynthia Bashant. The State Bar oath will be administered by the Fourth District Court of Appeal Clerk of Court Brandon Henson and the Federal Bar oath will be administered by John Morrill, Clerk of Court for the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California.