“You’re here because your hard work and your resilience paid off,” said Associate Dean Gary Craig, recognizing the hundreds of LMU Loyola Law School (LLS) graduates who passed the July 2022 sitting of the California Bar Exam. Craig’s remarks opened the celebration and official bar swearing-in ceremony hosted on the LLS campus on Friday, Dec. 2. The first-time bar takers of the LLS Class of 2021 passed at an 80 percent rate — seven percentage points above the statewide average.
This momentous occasion marked a new chapter in these graduates’ legal careers. Passing the bar enables these attorneys to further realize their advocacy goals and represent the communities and people they will serve in the court of law.
The ceremony also featured inspirational comments from Professor Robert Brain, recipient of the 2022 Excellence in Teaching Award; the Hon. Carmen Snuggs-Spraggins ’02, president, LLS Alumni Association Board of Governors; and Professor Adam Zimmerman. The Hon. Thomas A. Delaney ’92 administered the state oath; Hon. Sandra Klein ’92 administered the federal oath with all those eligible to be sworn in.
“What we are, I think, is a reflection of you, and by that I mean that every student I’ve ever met at Loyola has been supportive of other students,” said Brain in his remarks. “You’ve passed that mentality down to the next class as those who came before passed it down to you.”
Judge Delaney spoke on what he believes this moment in the legal profession means for society and the opportunity that these new lawyers have to use their perspective to shape the future of the justice system. “You are a new and different generation, and if you love the law you are coming in at a great time,” he said. “I love the law, so I always think it’s a great time. But there is so much happening in the justice system right now that you’re joining at the perfect moment to help determine what that system is going to look like for the future.”
These alumni now embark on their professional careers as members of a network of more than 19,000 LLS graduates worldwide who strive to assist one another in the furtherance of their careers and promote a spirit of community among law school alumni.