New Missouri lawyers sworn in during 2024 Spring Enrollment Ceremony
As a kindergartener, Bailey Adamik-Moffett knew she wanted to be a lawyer. Now 20 years later, she took her oath of admission during the Spring Enrollment Ceremony April 26 in Jefferson City, turning a dream into reality.
“It was hard to keep the tears back during the ceremony,” said Adamik-Moffett, a University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law graduate.
Adamik-Moffett was one of nearly 50 individuals who were sworn into the legal profession before judges of the Supreme Court of Missouri, officers of The Missouri Bar, and members of the Missouri Board of Law Examiners during Spring Enrollment Ceremony. Those lawyers were among the 58 individuals who passed the February 2024 Bar Exam.
“This might be my favorite job as president, welcoming new lawyers into our bar and watching their families beam with pride as they take the oath,” 2023-2024 Missouri Bar President Megan Phillips said. “I can’t wait to see how this generation changes the profession and the world.”
Among the gray clouds and rain drops, the cheers of family and friends of recently admitted Missouri lawyers echoed off the walls of the Missouri Supreme Court building. The relationships and support the new lawyers received were not lost on them. Khalfani Mar’Na expressed gratitude to the individuals who encouraged and supported him throughout law school at Northern Illinois University.
“You have support with your classmates in law school, which is great, but it’s always nice to be able to pick up the phone and call home and have someone to listen to and talk you through those moments, especially around finals time,” said Mar’Na, smiling at his mother, father, and grandmother.
Ra’Chel’Ni Mar’Na described his son as his “greatest achievement,” expressing how pleased he was that his son “never lost sight of his goal.”
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of him, how he stayed true to himself, stayed true to the game, stayed true to his focus, and you know, here’s the end result,” he said.
Paul Fagan was left speechless after taking his oath of admission on Friday. A graduate from Charleston School of Law in South Carolina, Fagan said he was grateful for his friends from school.
“We’re all trying to reach the same goal, and that created a level of togetherness and just pushing each other to be a little bit better every day. It gave me that extra ambition to try and keep up with that,’ said Fagan, who plans to work with a friend in St. Louis to hang out their shingles.
Fagan, Adamik-Moffett, and Mar’Na advised law students to remain motivated and remember why they are passionate about law.
“You have to see the light at the end of this tunnel because sometimes it’s pretty dark,” Adamik-Moffett said.
The Missouri Bar is here to help lawyers even better serve their clients and communities. Enrollees can view the plethora of resources available to them at MoBar.org/New-Members. In addition, The Missouri Bar Young Lawyers’ Section sent welcome packets to the state’s enrollees. See more photos from the day’s celebration here.