Top Law Schools

For those in states that have postponed their bar exams until October and are set to begin clerking in August/September, how are you planning on balancing beginning the clerkship and studying?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:25 pm

For those in states that have postponed their bar exams until October and are set to begin clerking in August/September, how are you planning on balancing beginning the clerkship and studying?

My friend who is taking an Oct. exam but starting a clerkship in mid-Sept. arranged an abbreviated schedule with her judge until she takes the bar (something like 8am-3pm).

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:25 pm

For those in states that have postponed their bar exams until October and are set to begin clerking in August/September, how are you planning on balancing beginning the clerkship and studying?

this seems really undoable, depending on the rigors of chambers.

Talk with your judge early. There are many people at the end of clerkships right now who are leaving without jobs because firms aren't hiring. The judge might be happy to delay your start until after the bar and let them stay and collect pay for another month.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:25 pm

For those in states that have postponed their bar exams until October and are set to begin clerking in August/September, how are you planning on balancing beginning the clerkship and studying?

I am starting in mid-August. Am planning to have mostly finished the course by then and then just continue to review for a few hours each day with more time spent on the weekends going over things. Hopefully won't lose too much knowledge in the process.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 27, 2020 2:18 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:25 pm

For those in states that have postponed their bar exams until October and are set to begin clerking in August/September, how are you planning on balancing beginning the clerkship and studying?

this seems really undoable, depending on the rigors of chambers.

it’s definitely doable in the majority of chambers. I worked 830-5 with an hour for lunch while studying for the bar and it turned out fine. Not especially pleasant and I had no social life for months but I passed.

Woke up at 730, at work by 830, did Adapitbar questions for an hour at lunch,
And usually did 2-3 hours of Barbri after work. Usually studied a few hours on Sat and all day Sunday.

If you’re working like 8-8 then yeah, it’s probably not doable. But most judges are 9-5, despite this website’s bias toward applying for or working for SDNY EDNY NDCAL etc judges who insist on very long hours

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 27, 2020 2:22 pm

Talk with your judge early. There are many people at the end of clerkships right now who are leaving without jobs because firms aren't hiring. The judge might be happy to delay your start until after the bar and let them stay and collect pay for another month.

This is good advice. Additionally, even if you are going to start on the same date, talk to your judge. He/she might be willing to work with you a bit on the issue.

An additional caveat for the October bar takers, though, is that (at least in almost all of the chambers in my district) September and March are the busiest months of the year due to getting the six-month list done. I didn't put in a ton more hours in those months, but I think leaving right at 5p and taking an hour at lunch to do bar questions is likely a bit more doable in July or February (as with previous clerks who took the bar) than in September.

COA clerk here, starting in August

My plan is to not study on weekdays, and just cram on weekends. I'm getting 80% on the MBE questions, so my hope is I can do poorly on the essays and be OK.