On August 22nd, Temple University Beasley School of Law welcomed the entering class of 2019 with a Pledge Ceremony and Faculty Reception.

During the ceremony, the students recited a Pledge of Professional Commitment and were given lapel pins by members of the faculty, welcoming them as new members of the Temple Law community.

By taking the Pledge, members of the entering class acknowledged that they were joining a new academic community and embarking on a career that prized honor and integrity above all, saying “I understand that one of the many privileges of the legal profession is the opportunity to serve others and I commit myself to seeking equal justice for all.”

Starting this journey at Temple Law were 16 international LL.M. students, 16 international exchange law students, 202 Day Division Juris Doctor (J.D.) law students, and 37 Evening Division J.D. law students. 

The international students came to Temple Law from sixteen countries and the J.D. students came from twenty-six states and six countries.

The Honorable Christopher Mallios LAW ‘87, who sits on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, delivered the keynote speech welcoming the students to the broader legal community and reminding them of the importance of their individual reputations as practitioners of the law. 

Concluding the ceremony, Dean Gregory Mandel remarked, “There are a few moments in our lives, professional and personal, that serve as thresholds, marking our transition from one chapter of our life to the next. In starting law school and reciting the Pledge of Professional Commitment, you have now crossed such a threshold together… I invite you to embrace the potential and possibility of this moment, individually and as a member of the entering class of 2019.”