Did Not Pass NY Bar - What Do I Do Forum

[Old Gregg]

ITT: TLS

[Anonymous User]

I also failed the New York Bar a few years ago. I was also at a top firm, top law school, law review, etc. It happens and it's devastating so OP I feel your pain. Instead of sympathizing I will offer you some thoughts that will hopefully be useful:

1. Remember that the bar is just a dumb licensing exam. It is not a how-good-of-a-lawyer are you exam. Look back at your full record of accomplishments. Bar failure is probably inconsistent with everything else. It was for me, and the federal judge who later hired me (while aware of my failing) for a clerkship agreed.

2. If you're at Biglaw, they will likely give you a second shot at it. You won't lose your job over one failure because honestly, their business model does not require you to be licensed until you're a midlevel. (No license necessary for doc review and memos)

3. The biggest challenge will be psychological. Reason number 1 comes to mind, as well as having to face people and tell them you failed. If you're at a top firm, people probably know you as a rockstar, and it will be a tough fall from grace. I have no easy solutions for this one. But time will help. I hid myself from people for about half a year due to embarrassment but in retrospect it wasn't anywhere near as big a deal as I thought it was.

4. Sympathy. Unless you are and have always been a complete jerk, nobody will laugh at you. Everyone will sympathize, in part because everyone thinks holy crap that could have been me. And a lot of people out there do fail but you never hear about it because people don't like to talk about it. Everyone will sympathize--in my experience people reacted as if I had a relative pass away.

5. You will probably pass the second time. Studying for the second sitting will be extremely unpleasant (probably understatement) if you're also working at a top firm, but you will probably pass. Be honest with yourself about why you failed, fix those problems, and you will be OK.

6. Humanizing effect. To those who have lesser credentials than you (vast majority of lawyers) failure will have a humanizing effect and will oddly make them more inclined to think of you favorably. I was surprised at the number of people who seemed distant to me at first, but then after I told them about the failure, became closer.

7. Depending on how top your firm is and how large it is, there's a good chance you are the only person in your firm who failed. I ran repeated searches for all first years at my firm and discovered I was indeed the only one who failed. It's hard (everyone makes jokes about failing the bar without checking the audience because they assume no one here is "dumb enough to fail") but there are no long term effects.

8. However terrible you feel right now, rest assured that every day that goes by makes dealing with it easier.

9. Your legal career is a marathon not a sprint. There will be ups and downs.

I have more thoughts but can't think of them immediately right now. Hope you're doing okay, and hope this helps. Good luck.

[AReasonableMan]

I also failed the New York Bar a few years ago. I was also at a top firm, top law school, law review, etc. It happens and it's devastating so OP I feel your pain. Instead of sympathizing I will offer you some thoughts that will hopefully be useful:

1. Remember that the bar is just a dumb licensing exam. It is not a how-good-of-a-lawyer are you exam. Look back at your full record of accomplishments. Bar failure is probably inconsistent with everything else. It was for me, and the federal judge who later hired me (while aware of my failing) for a clerkship agreed.

2. If you're at Biglaw, they will likely give you a second shot at it. You won't lose your job over one failure because honestly, their business model does not require you to be licensed until you're a midlevel. (No license necessary for doc review and memos)

3. The biggest challenge will be psychological. Reason number 1 comes to mind, as well as having to face people and tell them you failed. If you're at a top firm, people probably know you as a rockstar, and it will be a tough fall from grace. I have no easy solutions for this one. But time will help. I hid myself from people for about half a year due to embarrassment but in retrospect it wasn't anywhere near as big a deal as I thought it was.

4. Sympathy. Unless you are and have always been a complete jerk, nobody will laugh at you. Everyone will sympathize, in part because everyone thinks holy crap that could have been me. And a lot of people out there do fail but you never hear about it because people don't like to talk about it. Everyone will sympathize--in my experience people reacted as if I had a relative pass away.

5. You will probably pass the second time. Studying for the second sitting will be extremely unpleasant (probably understatement) if you're also working at a top firm, but you will probably pass. Be honest with yourself about why you failed, fix those problems, and you will be OK.

6. Humanizing effect. To those who have lesser credentials than you (vast majority of lawyers) failure will have a humanizing effect and will oddly make them more inclined to think of you favorably. I was surprised at the number of people who seemed distant to me at first, but then after I told them about the failure, became closer.

7. Depending on how top your firm is and how large it is, there's a good chance you are the only person in your firm who failed. I ran repeated searches for all first years at my firm and discovered I was indeed the only one who failed. It's hard (everyone makes jokes about failing the bar without checking the audience because they assume no one here is "dumb enough to fail") but there are no long term effects.

8. However terrible you feel right now, rest assured that every day that goes by makes dealing with it easier.

9. Your legal career is a marathon not a sprint. There will be ups and downs.

I have more thoughts but can't think of them immediately right now. Hope you're doing okay, and hope this helps. Good luck.

Did you notice a change in the complexity of work you got after your coworkers learned that you failed?

[Anonymous User]

I also failed the New York Bar a few years ago. I was also at a top firm, top law school, law review, etc. It happens and it's devastating so OP I feel your pain. Instead of sympathizing I will offer you some thoughts that will hopefully be useful:

1. Remember that the bar is just a dumb licensing exam. It is not a how-good-of-a-lawyer are you exam. Look back at your full record of accomplishments. Bar failure is probably inconsistent with everything else. It was for me, and the federal judge who later hired me (while aware of my failing) for a clerkship agreed.

2. If you're at Biglaw, they will likely give you a second shot at it. You won't lose your job over one failure because honestly, their business model does not require you to be licensed until you're a midlevel. (No license necessary for doc review and memos)

3. The biggest challenge will be psychological. Reason number 1 comes to mind, as well as having to face people and tell them you failed. If you're at a top firm, people probably know you as a rockstar, and it will be a tough fall from grace. I have no easy solutions for this one. But time will help. I hid myself from people for about half a year due to embarrassment but in retrospect it wasn't anywhere near as big a deal as I thought it was.

4. Sympathy. Unless you are and have always been a complete jerk, nobody will laugh at you. Everyone will sympathize, in part because everyone thinks holy crap that could have been me. And a lot of people out there do fail but you never hear about it because people don't like to talk about it. Everyone will sympathize--in my experience people reacted as if I had a relative pass away.

5. You will probably pass the second time. Studying for the second sitting will be extremely unpleasant (probably understatement) if you're also working at a top firm, but you will probably pass. Be honest with yourself about why you failed, fix those problems, and you will be OK.

6. Humanizing effect. To those who have lesser credentials than you (vast majority of lawyers) failure will have a humanizing effect and will oddly make them more inclined to think of you favorably. I was surprised at the number of people who seemed distant to me at first, but then after I told them about the failure, became closer.

7. Depending on how top your firm is and how large it is, there's a good chance you are the only person in your firm who failed. I ran repeated searches for all first years at my firm and discovered I was indeed the only one who failed. It's hard (everyone makes jokes about failing the bar without checking the audience because they assume no one here is "dumb enough to fail") but there are no long term effects.

8. However terrible you feel right now, rest assured that every day that goes by makes dealing with it easier.

9. Your legal career is a marathon not a sprint. There will be ups and downs.

I have more thoughts but can't think of them immediately right now. Hope you're doing okay, and hope this helps. Good luck.

Did you notice a change in the complexity of work you got after your coworkers learned that you failed?

At a big law firm, no one will know you failed except a few non-lawyers in legal personnel and maybe one or two administrative partners who you probably never work with. People aren't going to gossip about it (partners, especially senior partners, don't know or care enough about first years to gossip about them), and in any case it is not that uncommon. This is not information that will become common knowledge.

Unfortunately, and honestly, if you fail twice you probably will get shown the door, which is a lot of pressure for a retake. On the other hand, the February bar, while having a lower pass rate (because it's taken mostly by people who failed the first time), is typically easier to pass. Also, studying a second time is a lot easier. You've already learned most of the material and just need to refresh your memory. In any case, unless you slacked supremely in your studying first time around, you knew the material well enough to pass, and the real job now is improving test-taking skills and strategies.

[DwightSchruteFarms]

Andectadata:

This seems to fall under the "this to shall pass" category of life.

Exact words my father told me when I told him how rough the first day was when I failed on Friday and came into work on Monday (CBX releases results on Friday).

This will suck. It'll suck so much for a week, maybe two. But I promise you, you learn a lot about yourself in times like these when you pushed and you need to push back. NObody goes through life passing everything they encounter on the first try. If this is your first experience with failure, congratulations, you've lived a pretty darn successful life. You have another go so sack up and just destroy it. Take these next few weeks to soak it in and grieve as much as you want. I went to the library every single day and made it my life. I knew my biglaw job was on the line and I told my tutor that I could not wait to be sitting back in my office overlooking the view. I used that as motivation and I fuckin passed.

In the long run, it means absolutely nothing. My reviews this year have been higher than every member of my associate class except one (HLS grad, sue me). The day I came back into my office after I had passed, I screenshot that text my dad sent me and sent it to him again saying "you were right." This does pass and trust me, so will you.

[Anonymous User]

I also failed the New York Bar a few years ago. I was also at a top firm, top law school, law review, etc. It happens and it's devastating so OP I feel your pain. Instead of sympathizing I will offer you some thoughts that will hopefully be useful:

1. Remember that the bar is just a dumb licensing exam. It is not a how-good-of-a-lawyer are you exam. Look back at your full record of accomplishments. Bar failure is probably inconsistent with everything else. It was for me, and the federal judge who later hired me (while aware of my failing) for a clerkship agreed.

2. If you're at Biglaw, they will likely give you a second shot at it. You won't lose your job over one failure because honestly, their business model does not require you to be licensed until you're a midlevel. (No license necessary for doc review and memos)

3. The biggest challenge will be psychological. Reason number 1 comes to mind, as well as having to face people and tell them you failed. If you're at a top firm, people probably know you as a rockstar, and it will be a tough fall from grace. I have no easy solutions for this one. But time will help. I hid myself from people for about half a year due to embarrassment but in retrospect it wasn't anywhere near as big a deal as I thought it was.

4. Sympathy. Unless you are and have always been a complete jerk, nobody will laugh at you. Everyone will sympathize, in part because everyone thinks holy crap that could have been me. And a lot of people out there do fail but you never hear about it because people don't like to talk about it. Everyone will sympathize--in my experience people reacted as if I had a relative pass away.

5. You will probably pass the second time. Studying for the second sitting will be extremely unpleasant (probably understatement) if you're also working at a top firm, but you will probably pass. Be honest with yourself about why you failed, fix those problems, and you will be OK.

6. Humanizing effect. To those who have lesser credentials than you (vast majority of lawyers) failure will have a humanizing effect and will oddly make them more inclined to think of you favorably. I was surprised at the number of people who seemed distant to me at first, but then after I told them about the failure, became closer.

7. Depending on how top your firm is and how large it is, there's a good chance you are the only person in your firm who failed. I ran repeated searches for all first years at my firm and discovered I was indeed the only one who failed. It's hard (everyone makes jokes about failing the bar without checking the audience because they assume no one here is "dumb enough to fail") but there are no long term effects.

8. However terrible you feel right now, rest assured that every day that goes by makes dealing with it easier.

9. Your legal career is a marathon not a sprint. There will be ups and downs.

I have more thoughts but can't think of them immediately right now. Hope you're doing okay, and hope this helps. Good luck.

Did you notice a change in the complexity of work you got after your coworkers learned that you failed?

I did not. Junior associate work at the top firms (or, at least the big ones) tends not to be that complex, just extremely annoying.

[Anonymous User]

I also failed the New York Bar a few years ago. I was also at a top firm, top law school, law review, etc. It happens and it's devastating so OP I feel your pain. Instead of sympathizing I will offer you some thoughts that will hopefully be useful:

1. Remember that the bar is just a dumb licensing exam. It is not a how-good-of-a-lawyer are you exam. Look back at your full record of accomplishments. Bar failure is probably inconsistent with everything else. It was for me, and the federal judge who later hired me (while aware of my failing) for a clerkship agreed.

2. If you're at Biglaw, they will likely give you a second shot at it. You won't lose your job over one failure because honestly, their business model does not require you to be licensed until you're a midlevel. (No license necessary for doc review and memos)

3. The biggest challenge will be psychological. Reason number 1 comes to mind, as well as having to face people and tell them you failed. If you're at a top firm, people probably know you as a rockstar, and it will be a tough fall from grace. I have no easy solutions for this one. But time will help. I hid myself from people for about half a year due to embarrassment but in retrospect it wasn't anywhere near as big a deal as I thought it was.

4. Sympathy. Unless you are and have always been a complete jerk, nobody will laugh at you. Everyone will sympathize, in part because everyone thinks holy crap that could have been me. And a lot of people out there do fail but you never hear about it because people don't like to talk about it. Everyone will sympathize--in my experience people reacted as if I had a relative pass away.

5. You will probably pass the second time. Studying for the second sitting will be extremely unpleasant (probably understatement) if you're also working at a top firm, but you will probably pass. Be honest with yourself about why you failed, fix those problems, and you will be OK.

6. Humanizing effect. To those who have lesser credentials than you (vast majority of lawyers) failure will have a humanizing effect and will oddly make them more inclined to think of you favorably. I was surprised at the number of people who seemed distant to me at first, but then after I told them about the failure, became closer.

7. Depending on how top your firm is and how large it is, there's a good chance you are the only person in your firm who failed. I ran repeated searches for all first years at my firm and discovered I was indeed the only one who failed. It's hard (everyone makes jokes about failing the bar without checking the audience because they assume no one here is "dumb enough to fail") but there are no long term effects.

8. However terrible you feel right now, rest assured that every day that goes by makes dealing with it easier.

9. Your legal career is a marathon not a sprint. There will be ups and downs.

I have more thoughts but can't think of them immediately right now. Hope you're doing okay, and hope this helps. Good luck.

Did you notice a change in the complexity of work you got after your coworkers learned that you failed?

At a big law firm, no one will know you failed except a few non-lawyers in legal personnel and maybe one or two administrative partners who you probably never work with. People aren't going to gossip about it (partners, especially senior partners, don't know or care enough about first years to gossip about them), and in any case it is not that uncommon. This is not information that will become common knowledge.

Unfortunately, and honestly, if you fail twice you probably will get shown the door, which is a lot of pressure for a retake. On the other hand, the February bar, while having a lower pass rate (because it's taken mostly by people who failed the first time), is typically easier to pass. Also, studying a second time is a lot easier. You've already learned most of the material and just need to refresh your memory. In any case, unless you slacked supremely in your studying first time around, you knew the material well enough to pass, and the real job now is improving test-taking skills and strategies.

NY Bar failer here. Agree wholeheartedly about "not information that will become common knowledge." My anecdotal evidence is the number of times associates made jokes in front of me about how only dumb people fail the bar.

[mephistopheles]

Retake

ed uva

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

I've been reading all the comments above, and I really (really) appreciate it. Yesterday was probably the shittiest day of my life so far, (which I should also be thankful for), and hopefully things will go uphill from here. Gonna drink a lot this weekend and get cracking on this bar prep next week.

[baal hadad]

OP here.

I've been reading all the comments above, and I really (really) appreciate it. Yesterday was probably the shittiest day of my life so far, (which I should also be thankful for), and hopefully things will go uphill from here. Gonna drink a lot this weekend and get cracking on this bar prep next week.

Sounds good bro. Good luck. You got it this time