Swearing-In Information
Oath of Office without "So help me God"
Applicants must wait until receipt of license to be sworn-in to practice law in North Carolina
Subchapter 1C, Section .0103 of the Rules and Regulations of the North Carolina State Bar, Admission to Practice provides: “Upon receiving license to practice law from the Board of Law Examiners, the applicant to the North Carolina State Bar shall be admitted to the practice thereof by taking the oath in the manner and form now provided by law.”
An applicant may not be sworn-in to practice law in North Carolina until such time as the applicant has received his or her physical license from the Board of Law Examiners.
As character and fitness issues can and do arise in the interim period between an applicant’s passage of the bar examination and the issuance of the applicant’s license, the Board of Law Examiners does not certify an applicant to the Supreme Court as having met all requirements for licensure until such time as the applicant’s license has been issued.
Additionally, the North Carolina State Bar cannot issue an applicant a State Bar number until such time as the Board has certified the applicant as having met all requirements for licensure.
Licenses are ordered shortly after results letters are sent to applicants. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, applicants may expect to receive their licenses within four to six weeks thereafter.
Information regarding group “swearing-in” ceremonies
Many local bar associations sponsor group “swearing-in” ceremonies. Please check with your local bar association for information regarding whether it plans to sponsor such an event and for details regarding the date and time of the ceremony.