Swearing in, circa 1970

This morning hundreds of JDs became esquires as the Texas Board of Law Examiners conducted its biannual mass swearing-in ceremony at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center. With seating for more than 16,000, the Erwin center can host every bar-passer, plus plenty of family members and friends. But it wasn’t always this way. Nadine Schneider, administrative assistant to the Texas Supreme Court, remembers a time when swearings-in were simpler affairs. In fact, she has records showing that, back in 1970, the ceremony took place not in an arena but rather at the humble law library at the University of Texas School of Law. “That’s where they were having these ceremonies,” she says. Regardless of the venue size, she says, the ceremonies always hold huge amounts of happiness.  “It’s always so exciting to see all the parents proud that their son or daughter is getting sworn in.”
-- Jenny B. Davis