For as long as the legal profession has existed in the United States, judges have performed the swearing-in ceremony for new lawyers in-person. It would seem that the current stay-at-home and social distancing orders would hamper a new lawyer's entry into the Bar, but the Florida Supreme Court granted special permissions for these oaths to be administered virtually. With the pathway clear for remote ceremonies, our judges have started administering the oath of attorney to our community's newest lawyers.
Judge Fay Allen swore in a group of seven new lawyers from Florida A&M University College of Law. Judge Gisela Laurent was honored to swear in Wilda P. Pomales, who was joined by her proud husbands and two sons. And Judge Jeanette Bigney administered the oath to Chelsie Pickett, who is a graduate of Emory Law and has already been admitted to the New York State Bar. She has known Judge Bigney for many years, and while Chelsie was a student at the University of Central Florida, she job shadowed Judge Bigney.
Administering the oath is a special honor for our judges, and they are thrilled to find new ways to continue to with this time-honored tradition.