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Supreme Court of Texas reminds new lawyers to complete registration, required ethics course and to retain oath
Summary
Clerk Blake Hawthorne and court officials told successful February 2025 bar exam takers to complete online registration, take the Justice James A. Baker Guide course, and retain the printed oath as part of licensing requirements set by the Supreme Court of Texas.
Blake Hawthorne, clerk of the Supreme Court of Texas, told candidates at the induction ceremony for those who passed the February 2025 bar exam that they must complete online registration with the State Bar of Texas and that an award group will email instructions for claiming wall certificates and ordering frames. Hawthorne said the State Bar will mail bar cards separately and reminded new members that, by order of the Supreme Court of Texas, they must complete the Justice James A. Baker Guide to the Basics of Law Practice administered by the Texas Center for Legal Ethics.
The clerk also addressed the printed oath included in the ceremony program. "The oath in your program is yours to keep. You do not need to send it to me or anyone else," Hawthorne said, noting that "by statute, it must be affixed to your license." He advised candidates who purchase a frame to affix the program to the back of the frame as a practical matter. Those instructions were presented as housekeeping and guidance for meeting the administrative steps to be enrolled as members of the State Bar of Texas.
The court convened a special joint session of the Supreme Court of Texas and the Court of Criminal Appeals to administer the oath and present the list of successful examinees. Presenters reiterated that passing the exam and completing the listed steps are part of the licensing process governed by the rules for admission to the bar of Texas. The Board of Law Examiners presented the list of successful examinees and the Chief Justice administered the oath to those ready to take it.
Key clarifications from the ceremony included that online registration is required to be enrolled as a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Justice James A. Baker Guide course is required and available online through the Texas Center for Legal Ethics, and that the State Bar will mail bar cards separately from the wall certificate and frame instructions. The court and clerk described these points as administrative requirements rather than disciplinary or evaluative actions.
