COLUMBUS — Successful applicants to the Ohio Bar raised their right hands Monday as they repeated the oath of office from a video conference call led by the Ohio Supreme Court chief justice.
While new lawyers typically gather in a brightly-lit theater in Columbus to take the oath as a group, restrictions and social distancing guidelines remain in place due to the coronavirus outbreak.
So, for the first time, the ceremony was held virtually, broadcast live on the Ohio Channel and on the Supreme Court’s website. More than 100 applicants were sworn in as lawyers, including 10 graduates from the University of Toledo.
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor said it’s a day she and the other chief justices look forward to, as she stood alone to give remarks from the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center in Columbus.
“These are not normal times. The coronavirus pandemic has put a temporary hold on many proceedings around the world — from the ordinary to the extraordinary,” Chief Justice O’Connor said. “Let me make it clear that this ceremony qualifies as extraordinary. It’s extraordinary not because of the expertise to hold this event across the Internet, it’s extraordinary because of what each of you has accomplished as a student of the law.”
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O’Connor gives virtual oath of office during bar admission ceremony. New lawyers were to repeat oath from their homes and submit that they accept the oath. pic.twitter.com/AJ9x7nDj2A
— Allison Dunn ⚔️ (@AllisonDBlade) May 11, 2020
The chief justice said the moment was to be celebrated with family and friends — even if it was from a distance.
Prior to giving the oath, professionals in the legal community provided advice to the applicants, such as seek a mentor, prioritize a work-life balance, and to remember to have compassion and empathy even during times of frustration.
“The importance of today’s ceremony cannot be overstated. Never in my lifetime, perhaps in our country’s history, has there been such an urgent need for new, intelligent, innovative, eager attorneys like yourselves who will be immediately called upon today to help navigate our citizens through this crisis,” said Supreme Court Justice Michael Donnelly, who was this year’s keynote speaker.
Despite the students being miles away, Chief Justice O’Connor asked through the video conference that the students to raise their right hand and to repeat the oath after her. After, the applicants were to click a response that they accepted it.
Brandy Brown, a graduate of UT's College of Law, said she was disappointed she couldn't participate in the normal ceremony in Columbus, but was pleasantly surprised by the virtual event.
Watching her take her oath were family members from out of state who would not have been able to attend the in-person ceremony.
"Despite the unusual circumstances, I felt honored to be sworn into the bar and got very emotional during the process as I realized I was finally a licensed attorney," she said, "something I have dreamed of since I was in elementary school."
Separately, UT law school students graduated on Sunday and they — along with the rest of the law students across the state — are still waiting for the court to announce a decision for the July bar examination.
States across the country have taken various measures, from keeping the July 28 and 29 dates, but also relying on backup dates in September and October, according to a map from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
First Published May 11, 2020, 7:21 p.m.