Pepperdine Caruso Law Graduates Celebrate Winter 2024 California Bar Swearing-In Ceremony
On Thursday, December 5, the annual tradition of the California Bar Swearing-in Ceremony was held at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. Caruso Law graduates who recently passed the California Bar Exam and their family, friends, and professors came together to celebrate the impressive accomplishments of the Class of 2024.
The ceremony opened with a welcome from Chalak Richards, dean of Students, Diversity & Belonging, and Career Development. Richards offered a prayer over the graduates knowing that they will shine in the exciting work that they have been called to do.
Dean Paul Caron then addressed the attendees, congratulating the class on achieving a bar passage rate of 88.5%, the highest bar passage rate during his tenure as dean. Caruso Law ranked fifth in bar passage among the 18 California ABA-approved law schools, which is the law school's best ranking since 2011. Dean Caron shared that the law school will continue to support the graduates who are still working to pass the bar exam and encouraged the new class of attorneys to support their fellow alumni. He asked the graduates to make sure to thank their friends and family for their support in helping them reach this point in their careers. Dean Caron thanked the professors of the Academic Mastery Program: Ann Camacho, Selina Farrell, and Kate Burke for their endless support in aiding the graduates through their preparation for the California Bar Exam.
Caruso Law and Seaver College alumnus and newly-appointed judge Leon Dixson (JD/MDR ‘10) of the Superior Court of Placer County shared words of encouragement with the bar-passers before administering the California state oath. Judge Dixson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a minor in non-profit management at Seaver College. He then earned a master of dispute resolution degree and juris doctor degree from Caruso Law. He dedicated his attorney career to service at Legal Services of Northern California, a non-profit law firm. He served in various roles at the firm, including managing attorney and regional counsel for civil rights. He was appointed to serve as a judge in the Placer County Superior Court on July 17, 2024.
During the ceremony, Judge Dixson emphasized the importance of pausing to appreciate the momentous occasion of the ceremony, and gave the graduates time to consider the journey that led them to passing the bar exam. Judge Dixson also spoke of the importance of being flexible in finding one’s place in the law. He quoted one of his favorite remarks by martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, saying it is important to “be like water” as the graduates establish their legal careers, meaning to be adaptable and flexible in finding their paths in the legal field.
After taking oath, the new attorneys celebrated with their classmates and special guests who had joined them for the happy occasion. Congratulations to the Class of 2024!
