Walking on stage as their proud family and friends looked on was the end of a long road for these new attorneys, including Eric Smith who was one of nearly 900 new lawyers who took the oath on November 5.  

The Columbus native studied at Capital University for three years before he took the July 2012 Ohio Bar Examination.

“It’s pretty arduous. It feels good to, obviously, put some closure to it, which I felt this was a great way to celebrate what we’ve come through,” Smith said. “You know law school, unless you’ve been there, is difficult to explain. It’s just a rigorous, academic journey and it feels good to be at the end.”

Smith said he wasn’t quite sure of his journey when he first started studying law.

“When I went to law school, I wasn’t really sure what I was doing,” Smith said. “It wasn’t until I actually got there and spent two years there that I really realized that being a lawyer is what I wanted to do.”

All that hard work paid off, and for his parents, they’re excited this day has finally come.

“We were pleased when he chose law for a profession and excited for him during the whole process of law school and studying for the bar and very glad that it’s over,” said Mark Smith, Eric’s father. “We’re both very proud and very pleased.”

Eric Smith said the culmination of his many years of hard work was well worth the effort. He said he couldn’t have done it without his parents support.

“My family’s been great,” Eric Smith said. “I wouldn’t be here without them. They’ve encouraged me along the way. They’ve taken care of me and made sure I had everything I need. So yeah, my family’s been very integral and very helpful along the way.”

Smith looks forward to beginning his next adventure – practicing law at Nationwide, the Columbus-based insurance and financial company.

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor gave the keynote speech during the bar admissions ceremony while Justice Yvette McGee Brown administered the oath of office to successful applicants who have also satisfied all of the Ohio Supreme Court’s other requirements for admission.

“The challenges of law school and the bar are behind you and what lies ahead for many are uncharted waters. You are now members of one of the greatest professions in the world,” Chief Justice O’Connor said. “I’m honored to be among the first to offer you congratulations.”   

Of 1,209 applicants who sat for the exam, 977 received passing scores and 873 walked the stage on November 5 with their certificates of admission to the practice of law.

View a complete list of names of successful applicants.