There are moments in a lawyer's career that stay with you. For me, one of the most meaningful came when I stood inside the United States Supreme Court and was sworn in as a member of its Bar.
It's an honor I still don't take for granted.
An Invitation from Stetson College of Law
The opportunity came through my alma mater. Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz of Stetson College of Law personally invited me and a small group of Stetson alumni to travel to Washington, D.C. for the ceremony. Only ten practicing attorneys were selected from across Stetson's alumni network for that particular admission. To be included in that group — alongside accomplished lawyers who had built real careers serving their clients and communities — was humbling.
Stetson has always taken pride in producing trial lawyers who can walk into any courtroom in the country and advocate effectively. That identity was part of what drew me to the school, and it's what made standing in Washington that day feel like a full-circle moment.
Inside the Nation's Highest Court
If you've never walked through the Supreme Court building, it's hard to describe. The marble, the columns, the quiet weight of the history that has played out in those rooms — it hits you the moment you step inside. Every consequential civil rights decision, every landmark case that has shaped the country, was argued in the courtroom I was about to enter.
Our group gathered in the robing area before the session. The atmosphere was equal parts celebratory and reverent. These were attorneys who had earned their place — people who had tried cases, argued appeals, represented clients in the hardest moments of their lives — and we were all about to be sworn in together.
When we were seated in the courtroom, the nine Justices took the bench. Dean Pietruszkiewicz rose and made the oral motion for our admission. Chief Justice John Roberts accepted the motion, granted it, and administered the oath.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: standing in that room, in front of the nine Justices of the United States Supreme Court, was surreal. It was the legal profession's version of meeting someone you've admired your whole life. I was in awe.
Why Admission to the Supreme Court Bar Matters
The Supreme Court Bar is not something most attorneys pursue. To qualify, a lawyer has to have been admitted to practice in the highest court of a state for at least three years, must have a clean disciplinary record, must demonstrate good moral and professional character, and must be sponsored by two current members of the Supreme Court Bar.
Out of more than one million licensed attorneys in the United States, only a small fraction are ever admitted to practice before the Supreme Court. And of those, only a few hundred lawyers nationwide regularly handle matters that reach the Court. Most attorneys will spend their entire careers without ever setting foot inside that building as counsel of record.
For me, admission wasn't about the certificate on the wall. It was about what the credential represents: the ability, if a client's case ever requires it, to carry their fight all the way to the highest court in the country.
What It Means for My Clients
My practice at The Watson Firm is built on one idea — that the people we represent deserve a lawyer who will take their case as far as it needs to go. Most cases resolve long before they reach any appellate court, let alone the Supreme Court. But on the rare occasion that a client's rights depend on a constitutional question or a federal issue that only the nation's highest court can resolve, I want to be able to stand at that lectern and argue it myself.
Admission to the Supreme Court Bar means that door is open. It means that when a client trusts me with their case, there is no ceiling on how hard I can fight for them.
Gratitude
I'm grateful to Stetson College of Law and to Dean Pietruszkiewicz for the invitation that made this possible. I'm grateful to the mentors and colleagues who have shaped me as a lawyer along the way. And I'm grateful to the clients who have trusted me with their cases, their stories, and the hardest chapters of their lives. Every verdict, every settlement, every case that has made its way through the system has prepared me for the next one.
Walking out of the Supreme Court that afternoon, I remember looking back at the building one more time before getting in the car. The motto above the entrance reads Equal Justice Under Law. That's the mission. That's the standard.
And that's the standard I try to bring back to Pensacola every single day.
Aaron Watson is the managing attorney and owner of The Watson Firm, PLLC, a plaintiff-side personal injury and workers' compensation firm in Pensacola, Florida. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the Northern District of Florida, and the state courts of Florida. To speak with Aaron about your case, call 850-607-2929 or visit watsonfirm.com.