Three young Bermudians, including an engaged couple, were Called to the Bar in a ceremony in the Supreme Court.

Christa Schweizer and Gordon Mandela Fubler were both formally Called to the Bar yesterday afternoon in what is believed to be the first joint ceremony involving an engaged couple in Bermuda history.

They were joined by another young Bermudian, Melanie Fullerton, who also joined the list of practising barristers.

Both Ms Schweizer and Mr Fubler told the court that they had not originally intended to study law, with Ms Schweizer intent on a future in the theatre and Mr Fubler in film.

Ms Schweizer said Rod Attride Stirling convinced her that there was plenty of drama in law, while Mr Fubler found himself watching Magistrates’ Court before his shift at the Bermuda Broadcasting Company.

“One day before court, Elizabeth Christopher made a beckoning gesture to me and offered me a job with the prestigious title of mini-pupil,” he said.

The pair first saw each other at a moot trial set up by the Bermuda Bar Association and they later both studied law in the UK, receiving exemplary grades. They returned to the Island last year, with Ms Schweizer taking a position at Attride Stirling Wolonieki and Mr Fubler at Apex Law.

“Our first crossing was in a courtroom some years ago,” Ms Schweizer said. “Here we are again; not as strangers, but as learned friends and partners.”

Leighton Rochester, of the Attorney General’s Chambers, said both Ms Schweizer and Mr Fubler would be great additions to the Bermuda Bar. He noted the novel nature of their Call to the Bar as a couple, adding that because Ms Schweizer was called minutes earlier, she is technically her fiancé’s senior.

Chief Justice Ian Kawaley said that it was an honour and pleasure to preside over the ceremony for the couple, emphasising the importance of both hard work and maintaining a social conscience.

Ms Fullerton, meanwhile, was praised for both her pro-bono work in the UK and her athletic accomplishments. In addition to practising law, Ms Fullerton has represented the Island in international swimming events and is a member of the Bermuda hockey team. Described by lawyer Lorren Wilson, of Cox Hallett Wilkinson, as a “well-rounded, socially conscious young lady,” Ms Fullerton studied at Queens University before graduating from law school in the UK.

She recalled not always wanting to be a lawyer, telling the court that she recalls saying to her father when she was young that she wanted to be a cashier at White’s when she was older.

Ms Fullerton tearfully thanked her family for their overwhelming support in her, saying: “I hope you are sat here today beaming with pride. Without your hard work and support, I don’t know where I would be today.”

The Chief Justice commented that it was good for a lawyer to have experience in sport, saying: “It’s very valuable, I think, to a discipline such as law to understand what it means to compete. The legal world is very much about competition. Not just competing to win, but competing within the rules.”