Last month, LMU Loyola Law School welcomed many of its most recent graduates back to campus for a longstanding tradition: the Swearing-In Ceremony. Sworn in to the federal and state bars by alumnae judges Hon. Cindy Panúco '03, L.A. Superior Court and Hon. Michelle Williams Court ’93, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, these alumni join the ranks of nearly 20,000 alumni who are licensed attorneys.
LLS prepares students well for California’s notoriously difficult bar exam: 87% of LLS’ first-time test-takers passed the July 2024 bar exam, and the LLS first-time pass rate consistently exceeds the statewide average. As important, LLS prepares students for law practice and the awesome responsibilities of the profession. “It’s been a long journey but a very happy one,” said Natalie Honarchian ’24, who thanked the LLS faculty and staff for helping her and her classmates succeed. “I feel like it’s the first moment where it’s really dawning on me and hitting me that I’m a new attorney,” said Mir Raza ’24. “Thank you to Loyola. I wouldn’t have been here without the entire community.”
Several graduates expressed gratitude to LLS for not just preparing them for practice, but for LLS’ unique classes and programs that helped them find their professional path:
- “When I came here, I knew I wanted to work in public interest,” said Hail Archer ‘22. But I wasn’t sure how I would do that. Every professor encouraged me to try a different clinic. Someone finally recommended the Children’s Law Center to me, and I haven’t left since. I am so thankful for everyone’s support and encouragement to find the right path in life.”
- “I’m so excited to be back at LLS with my clinic: the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic. I can’t wait to come back and volunteer now that I’m an attorney,” said Anais Gomez ’24.
- “I’m super happy to have graduated from Loyola and to have been a part of this great clinic.” said Jacob Moiser ’24. “The Juvenile Innocence and Fair Sentencing Clinic was everything to me at this school.”
- “I am a general attorney in the tax team at the IRS Chief Counsel’s Office, and Loyola prepared me because of the amazing tax program we have here and the extensive tax classes I took. It was really perfect,” said Brian Plaut ’24.
As Fritz B. Burns Dean Brietta Clark noted, LLS has prepared its graduates for a constantly changing legal profession. “We’ve seen some dramatic shifts in the technological, social, political, and, of course, legal landscapes over the last several years. And I don’t see this plateauing any time soon,” she said. “Yes, attorneys work hard and deal with stressful situations, but the work is meaningful, intellectually stimulating, and lets us tap into our creativity.”
“This incredibly powerful tool of justice is now in your hands,” concluded Dean Clark. “Now that you’re on this side of the bar, I hope you can reflect back on the good parts of your journey, and use those lessons to shape your future as a professional entrusted to
help others through the practice of law.” LLS’ newest licensed attorneys are up to the challenge. “It feels like I finally completed the mission,” said Caché Cummings ’24. “It didn’t feel all the way complete after graduation, but I’m here, and the real work starts now.”
