Once you have completed the Attorney Registration Information section of your form, you may proceed with scheduling to take the attorney’s oath.
You may take the oath at an in-person or virtual group swearing-in ceremony organized by your law school, local bar association, or through another group. Please note, the State Bar’s Office of Admissions no longer hosts swearing-in ceremonies.
There are a number of officials in California who are authorized to administer the oath. For more information and a list of officials in California authorized to administer the oath, review the attorney oath information online.
If you do not see the official listed, please confirm directly with the official to determine if they are authorized to administer the attorney’s oath. The official in question can confirm whether they are authorized to administer the attorney’s oath. Questions? Submit an inquiry in your Applicant Portal.
If you are unable to attend an in-person ceremony, you may need to arrange to take the oath one-on-one with an authorized official. Please note, you cannot be sworn in before your certification for admission has been accepted by the Supreme Court of California and without having received the required form.
Note: If you have completed the Attorney Registration Information section and have scheduled to take the attorney’s oath on a later date, do not sign your form yet. You should sign and date your form effective the date the attorney’s oath is administered.
If you plan to take the attorney's oath at a later date, you can click on "Other Actions" to access a dropdown menu with different options. From the dropdown menu, select "Finish Later" to save your form. When you are ready to take the attorney's oath and sign your form, you can access your form again by clicking on the "Review Documents" link in the original email you received.
Note: Please refer to the Annual Fees Information section of this guide before choosing the date you take your oath. Annual fees for your year of admission will be assessed based on your oath date, and it makes a difference whether you are sworn in before or after June 1 or December 1. For example: taking your oath on June 1 or later will result in prorated annual fees for that calendar year and taking your oath on December 1 or later will result in a waiver of annual fees for that calendar year.
Questions? Contact us at OathCard@calbar.ca.gov.