The Michigan Supreme Court and State Bar of Michigan are offering certified bar passers the unique opportunity, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to participate in a virtual mass swearing-in ceremony with the chief justice.
Anyone who has been notified by the Board of Law examiners that they are eligible to be sworn in is invited to be sworn in at this ceremony by Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, upon a motion presented by State Bar of Michigan President Dennis Barnes.
The ceremony, which is consistent with MSC Administrative Order 2020-2, as extended by MSC Administrative Order 2020-12, satisfies the first of the two requirements for a certified bar passer to become a licensed attorney in Michigan. The second is completing the online Membership Application after being sworn in. To complete the application, applicants must create an account as a Prospective New Active Attorney or Prospective New Voluntary Inactive Attorney and pay the required license fee.
The ceremony will be conducted on Zoom, and live-streamed on YouTube for family and friends who would like to watch. Only eligible applicants who have signed up in advance will be allowed to access the Zoom meeting. Instructions for participating in the swearing-in ceremony, along with a full schedule of local and affinity bar celebrations, will be shared soon.
The ceremony will be held on Friday, May 15, at 2 p.m. Participants will need to log in at 1:30 p.m. to begin the process of being admitted to the Zoom meeting.
Bar passers who would like to participate need to fill out the online form at www.surveymonkey.com/r/swearinginMay2020 by Monday, May 11.
For those not able to participate in the May 15 ceremony, here is what they need to do next to become a licensed attorney in Michigan:
• Be sworn in—Typically, you would appear at a circuit court to present the Board of Law Examiners certification sent to you by mail. Upon motion made in open court by a licensed Michigan lawyer, the court would administer the oath of office and enter an order admitting you to the State Bar of Michigan.
Due to the pandemic, however, the exchange of requisite documents may be accomplished via email. The swearing-in should be conducted either by two-way interactive video technology or over the telephone. After being sworn in, you must mail the payment and the signed oath to the court. The court should file a signed order of admission with the county clerk, who is responsible for transmitting the certified order of admission to the Supreme Court and the State Bar of Michigan. The certified order for the Supreme Court should be emailed to MSC_RollOfAttorneys@courts.mi.gov. Orders for the State Bar of Michigan should be emailed to SBM-Fee-Billing@michbar.org.
• Complete the Membership Application—After being admitted to the State Bar by the court, you need to complete the online Membership Application at https://e.michbar.org by creating an account as a Prospective New Active Attorney or Prospective New Voluntary Inactive Attorney. Pay the required license fee with a Visa or Mastercard.
After your application, Order of Admission, and payment are received and processed, you will receive an email (to the email address you provided in your application) with your license number and other membership information. Bar cards are only issued to active attorneys and are sent by mail within 10-15 business days of the assignment of the license number.
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