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Massachusetts Attorney's Oath: History That Should Not Be Repeated, Jared A. Picchi

University of Massachusetts Law Review

Massachusetts proudly boasts that it has one of the oldest versions of the Attorney’s Oath in the United States. However, the Oath contains phrases that reflect both gender and religious biases. The use of the masculine form within the text, as well as the reference to God, reflect the nation’s history of intolerance and ignorance. These phrases exclude a large portion of the legal community and act as a distraction from the true purpose of an attorney’s oath, which is to remind incoming lawyers of their ethical obligations. This Article focuses primarily on the need for Massachusetts to adopt a …