BY DONNA SWICEGOOD

Noah Crosswhite has officially joined the family business.

The newly minted attorney was sworn in by his uncle, Iredell County Resident Senior Superior Court Judge Joe Crosswhite.

The younger Crosswhite became is the fourth generation of the family to practice law. His two uncles and his late great-grandfather and grandfather were all attorneys.

His mother, Becky Crosswhite Ford, held the Bible as his uncle administered the oath of office.

Crosswhite attended Statesville High School and completed his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2022. From there he went to law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Joanne Ashley, a local attorney, introduced Crosswhite to the court during the ceremony in Superior Court.

Ashley said she saw Crosswhite would have potential as an attorney at an early age. She pulled out an enlarged photo taken of him as a child in a suit standing in front of the Hall of Justice with a phone to his ear.

“We thought it would really be amazing if he could follow this legacy of the Crosswhite family,” she said.

Upon his graduation from UNCC, he was a highly sought-after potential law student.

“He didn’t just apply. He was chased. He was being recruited by like Yale and Stanford,” she said.

Judge Crosswhite said the swearing-in ceremony is quick, but what it takes to get there is not. He said it takes graduation from high school, college and then taking the LSAT.

“You stress about law school, you stress about the first year of law school. And then you survive that,” he said.

Judge Crosswhite’s grandfather was sworn in in 1932, and his father joined the bar in 1961. The judge and his brother, Bob, also took the oath in Iredell County.

Noah Crosswhite said it was a thrill to be sworn in by his uncle. He said when he was in law school, his uncle said he’d like to be able to conduct the swearing-in ceremony.

He wasn’t always sure about following in the family business, but in his senior year of college he decided to give it a try.

Now, after completing his education and officially being sworn in, he’s ready to begin practicing.

“I am so excited to get started in my career,” he said.