2019 July California Bar Forum

[Mimi0110]

I did not pass. Got a 1386. Starting to think that law is not for me. Never failed something that I gave my all before. Any real advice from lawyers about what to do if I do not have money to retake? What kind of jobs can I get in California? No lawyer wants to hire me unless I do free labor for them. It has happened to me already and I had to leave. I am very lost with what to do.

I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work out this time. Must have been a shock.

How many times have you taken the exam? I also gave it my all my first time. I failed. I think I was being too much of a tryhard, rather than trying to be an overachiever.

I passed the second time (2014). It turns out it's not just about hard work but also smart work. Not going by the default, but thinking more deliberately about the things you're doing. Not just cramming information, but connecting the information and being able to use the information.

The graders don't care how much more you know than the candidate next to you. They care about what you can do with what you know.

As it also turns out, my second attempt was more relaxing and enjoyable. Not just because I had the first attempt under my belt but also because I was doing what was actually helping me learn, not forcing myself to go through the stock course curriculum that I forget 99% of anyway. Once you abandon Big Bar Prep, you'll also realize it doesn't have to be expensive.

As for jobs, there are (apparently many) JD-advantaged positions. Personally, I took a $15/hr job part-time that was good for my resume. I did whatever work I could (including having my own client as a patent agent, which doesn't require CA bar membership).

Did you do internships during summers? Try reaching back out to them. They already know who you are. I've either done work for or gotten a request to do some work for ALL of my past bosses. (Uh, well, technically not the one guy who ghosted me in the middle of my remote internship. Good thing I had another one...)

FYI for everyone, I made a 2020 Feb thread here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=303600

My score was a 1386.7

Civ Pro: 57.5
Con Law: 60
Crim Law: 60
PR: 55
Contracts: 62.5
PT: 65

MBE Scaled at 1347

I would also like to ask if it is better to just find selected essay answers and learn those rule statements rather than the ones that courses provide? Even after 3 attempts, I have yet to earn a 70 or 75 on an essay. There must be something I am doing wrong and I believe my rule statements might be incomplete. I cannot figure out what I am missing.

Hi "Animal_Activist,"

My story is really similar to yours. I signed up for the BAR 3 times, but was not able to attend the first administration because of medical issues. I took the Feb 2019 BAR, but ended up with a score of 1390 and didn't pass. I read a bunch of posts about what I should do and all of these people were suggesting that I change my bar course because "if it didn't work the first time, it is not going to do any good to review the same exact material the second time." I was really broke and I couldn't afford to buy a different BAR course so I just studied off the same material. I cleared my entire course and started studying a new (BARMAX, here's my link http://barmax.refr.cc/miriam).

Before starting to study I planned my schedule. Not hour by hour, rather, day by day. For example, I looked at the outline of each subject and based on the size of the outline I planned how many days I estimated I would need to cover all the material. For Con Law, for example, I gave my self 4 days. On day 1-3, I worked on reading the outline in its entirety, making flashcards, and memorizing all the black letter law. On the fourth day, I worked on 25-50 Con Law MBE questions and did 2 Con Law essays. For Trusts, for example, which consists of an outline much smaller than Con Law, I gave myself 2 days. Day 1 to read the outline, make flashcards, and memorize the law. Day 2 to do 2 Trusts essays. I focused on all of the topics that appear on the multiple-choice and essay sections first and then moved on to the topics that only appear in the essay section. Also, when I was done with a particular topic for the day, I was done studying for the day. Sometimes I spent 12 hours studying, other days I just spent 6. I found that this fluctuation in scheduled study time allowed me to keep from burning out.

To memorize the law and save time on making my own flashcards, I purchased the Critical Pass Flashcards on OfferUp for $100. I used the Critical Pass Flashcards by comparing them to my outlines and just adding the information from my outline that is missing on the flashcard. I worked my way through all the flashcards, in addition to the ones I created for the Civ Pro (CA), Wills, Trusts, Community Property, etc. I finished memorizing about 3 weeks before the bar exam.

I used 2 of the remaining 3 weeks to do essays on all topics, three per day. I used the last week to do 1 PT and 1 simulated BAR exam, and whatever time I had left I just reviewed the flashcards.

In the end, it all worked out and I passed the July 2019 exam.

I know people don't suggest just "memorizing" everything, but that's what worked best for me. When I was listening to the lectures and waiting until the end to memorize the black letter law, I got completely lost and felt like I had not learned anything. I think I still have the outlines if you want I would be more than happy to send them to you via e-mail.

Then, after the BAR but before I got my bar results, I started looking for jobs on Indeed. I applied for both attorney and Law Clerk positions. If the posting said they were looking for an attorney, I still submitted my cover letter, resume and recommendation letters. However, in those, I included something like, "The fact that I have not received my bar license, is not dispositive. From now until I receive my bar results, I would like to work at this firm in the capacity of a law clerk or conditional associate attorney. In this role, I will prove my value and demonstrate how I can be an asset to this firm. Moreover, this agreement would be mutually beneficial because you will have the opportunity to decide, before hiring me in a more permanent role, whether or not I would be a good fit in your firm." Then thanked them and moved on. I ended up getting hired as a law clerk at a firm that had posted a job posting for an attorney. If you think that seeing my cover letter would be helpful, let me know and I can email you that too.

Anyways, that's the end of that. Hoped it helped a little.