After passing the California bar exam, JD graduates attend a swearing-in ceremony where they are officially accepted into the State Bar of California. During the ceremony, a practicing attorney makes a motion to have the graduate admitted to the bar. Often, the attorney is a mentor or relative of the graduate, though not always. Once the graduate has taken an oath, the judge grants the motion and formally admits them to the bar.
To see a swearing-in ceremony firsthand, watch the video below of Emilia Carbajal taking her attorney’s oath.