The End

That's it - It's over. After four years of undergrad, three years of law school and one year of articles, the word "student" is no longer part of my title, description, or related to me in any way. Maybe that's not forever, but for now it feels pretty good.

Becoming a lawyer - and I mean the exact moment that I transitioned from non-lawyer to lawyer - was anticlimactic. I stopped being an articled student when May 21 ended, but the courthouse ceremony where I would swear an oath before a judge wasn't until the 23rd, so when I went to the office on May 22, I was in a twilight zone type place. Happily, people finish articling on a date before the courthouse ceremony date all the time, so I had been sent an oath at the office that, when read, would activate the special lawyer making magic of the universe.

So, I went to the office on May 22nd and waited for the partner who was going to read me the oath to have a free minute. Eventually he came into my office, read the oath, I said yes, and the deal was done. I don't think I got out of my chair...

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Still, it was a pretty great feeling. And looking back at my first half year of being a lawyer (yeah I'm typing from the future - see the post above) I feel like the decision to become a lawyer was the best one I've made. I'm happy about the areas I've decided to practice in, and I'm happy with my firm. I've got a ten year plan, and right now things are falling into place.

I mentioned the courthouse ceremony - that was May 23rd, and that was where it all really sunk in. The ceremony was at the courthouse downtown, and I with about 150 other people (in two different ceremonies) stood in front of a judge and took the oath. The ceremony was great - it really felt like the end of a journey. And that, my friends, is it.

Me waiting to go down the stairs before the ceremony

Me signing the register