Appleby advocates Andrew Newton and Sophia Wong have been formally admitted to the Manx Bar following a ceremony at the Isle of Man Courts of Justice.

The pair, who joined Appleby’s Isle of Man office as trainees in September 2012, sat and passed their Manx Bar exams last November. Following the completion of a two-year Period of Articles, they were formally admitted to the Bar by Deemster Doyle, First Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls.

During the ceremony in Court Number 1 Andrew and Sophia swore the Advocates’ Oath and the Oath of Allegiance, before Deemster Doyle reminded them of their duties and advised of the need to lead a balanced life.

Among those attending were family and friends of the newly sworn-in advocates and former First Deemster Jack Corrin.

Andrew, an advocate in Appleby’s Litigation department, said: ‘I felt a great deal of pride during the ceremony, which was the culmination of several years of studying and hard work. The support from my colleagues at Appleby has been instrumental in helping me reach this point in my career, their advice and experience was invaluable.’

Sophia, an advocate in the Corporate and Commercial department, added: ‘As I look forward to the next stage in my career, as a member of the Manx Bar and practicing advocate, I would also like to thank Appleby for the guidance and assistance I have received. The journey so far has been extremely rewarding and I am excited about the future.’