That Time I Got Sworn In and Ugly Cried Through All of It…

The Massachusetts swearing in ceremony is something special and I almost forgive them the two month wait from results to swearing; which did allow my family could attend, so I guess I have two reasons to almost forgive them. I don’t know what every state does, but I’m privy to a few and most of those were just a quick oath swearing you can do over coffee. Massachusetts holds theirs in historic Faneuil Hall and they tell you all about the significance of that choice. Faneuil Hall is also where the citizenship ceremony is held. It holds ties to the very foundation of The United States and still stands as a symbol of what the United States should be for all of its citizens.

The ceremony is a formal session of the court, complete with the pomp and circumstance of heralding people into the hall as I imagine they did in colonial times and presided over by a judge of the Supreme Judicial Court. A formal motion had to be filed by the Board of Bar Examiners (the sadists who administer the bar exam and write the MA essay questions) and we had to sit there and hope the judge accepted. Sure, sure they tell you at that point it is only a formality, but I was not going to counting my chickens before they hatched. And then…there was a joke made about the motion not being accepted and no one in the newly admitted lawyers section of the room breathed for about 15 seconds. Luckily, it was just a joke, but I’m still not laughing. We stood and swore to three oaths – Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (recited first because it is the oldest written constitution still in existence and the U.S. Constitution was heavily influenced by it), United States Constitution, & Oath of Attorney. The attorney oath is not recited as the other two because the language is archaic, but read aloud to the newbies and one simply says, “I do” at the conclusion. I may have smirked a little at that – me and my career until death do us part. Then we lined up to sign the official attorney role (I think my signature is more of a flourish than my name). Followed by lining up to get your certificate of acceptance into the Massachusetts State Bar, which is handed to you by the loved one of your choice (I picked my mom). I do not remember this at all, but I am told an officer of the

“Then we lined up to sign the official attorney role (I think my signature is more of a flourish than my name).”

court address you as “Counselor,” hands your loved one the envelope, you go onto the stage and they give it to you. Now, previously we were instructed to take that moment and look at our loved one, appreciate them and be present but I am not sure I did because I was so caught up in my feelings. By that point, I couldn’t see anyway. My eyes were all teary and I didn’t want them to full on run and possibly get makeup on my new dress. Then you can go drink. I mean, go home. (side note: You’re not supposed to take photos in the hall (no one listens), BUT they do allow photos at key points (role signing and certificate relay) and do a good job instructing you about it and moving people along so everyone gets a chance.)

Madame Clerk, Maura S. Doyle, has been the Master of Ceremony for 20 years or so, but I couldn’t tell. She had just as much gusto as if it were her first year (this helps to make a three hour event not seem like a three hour event). She tried to impress upon us the importance of the day, admonish us to smile and stop looking at her with such taciturn glares and I tried, but I was so caught up in my own feelings that it was difficult to take it all in or school my face. I thought a lot about my grandmother and hoped she was watching and proud and happy wherever she is; I wished she could have been there so badly. I thought about how even graduating law school pales in comparison to the happiness I felt at finally being sworn in. I pondered if I’d ever be that happy again. I wondered if I would have been capable of such appreciation for the significance of the day if I had passed the first time or would I have taken it for granted? I wondered why I chose to wear the pedsocks I did because they were messing with m

“I looked around at our colorful families gathered around a sea of black  and blue.”

y lines. I looked around at our colorful families gathered around a sea of black and blue – I wish there was a photo of that.
I worried over hoping my family took pictures and paid attention because I was in a fog & someone was gonna have to fill in the blanks. According to my kid sister I am the queen of the Kleenex travel pack and would you believe I did not have a scrap of tissue on me for the whole event?! It’s not that I didn’t think I wouldn’t cry, but I was too busy making sure my notoriously late family wasn’t late and fretting over not tripping across the stage that the minor details eluded me.

 

Being sworn in in June with other February test takers I knew there were other multi-sit people in the room. From the tears I saw and relieved faces to match my own from people like me who couldn’t believe it was happening until that moment where they address you as “Counselor” andyour loved one gets to hand you the certificate, I knew. I even managed to lock eyes with a few classmates who have been in the same boat as me and it was so great to see them there in their shining moment as well.

~NV~