Retaking CA Bar, but thinking ahead to FL,TX,MA,WA,AZ Forum

[AntiHuman]

No Debt
Minority, but not URM
Only enjoy criminal law/torts and want to pursue a career in that field
Graduated Tier 1 school, bottom 20 percent
No job offers


Retaking CA Bar exam after scoring very low on the July 2013 exam...pretty much 114 MBE and roughly 55 on entire written section except for an 80 on a contracts essay.

So overwhelmed and realized I loathe writing essays/PT's and would much rather do MBE's...I might be suffering from ADHD or something...can't seem to focus for even an hour in order to write an essay. Lawyers do a lot of writing, so maybe I got into the wrong profession. I only enjoy two subjects, criminal law and torts. I hate everything else. I'll do my best obviously, but I'm not sure I'll do well on the Feb 2014 exam.

I don't want to be a pessimist, but I am looking ahead to which bar exams are the easiest among FL,TX,MA,WA,AZ and also which ones are similar to CA so I don't have to study too much other law.


My entire family is in CA and would want to stay here, but I don't think I can do the exam 3 times. Forum shopping is embarassing, but I don't want 3 years of education to go nowhere and I don't wanna be that guy that takes the CA bar 3+ times. Another option is pick another career with a JD, so help on that would be helpful as well.

Which states are good for lawyers, easy bar exam(and similar law to CA) multicultural, good housing market...etc

Obviously the cities would be along the lines of seattle, phoenix, houston, texas, miami, boston..etc

[sst123]

Couldn't speak to anything you asked, but the flight to seattle from anywhere in Cali is quick. And it's the best city in the world... If you ask me anyway.

[kalvano]

Texas has a full day and a half of essays.

[2807]

What are you doing to prepare for the Feb 2014 CA Bar?

[Bikeflip]

If you're looking at Arizona, please note they're a UBE state. You can waive into Colorado, Minnesota, Washington , and other states like Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Missouri, etc.

[AntiHuman]

For each MBE subject, I am fully simulating 6 essays and doing 100 MBE's until Jan 20th. So far I only have evidence and real property left to do. I have a private tutor that is grading my essays and telling me how to improve.

Starting Jan 20th, I am then doing non-MBE subjects, but each day thereafter I will do 33 mbe's and review old essays/write 1 new mbe essay per day. I will do this for the next 5 weeks so I can revisit each MBE subject 5 times each.

I will also sprinkle a few PT's here an there.

[2807]

Ok, happy to hear that you are fighting back. I hope the tutor has clearly showed your mistakes from July (if you bombed them all, you may likely have simple style-work to do?) Or, you need BLL review and style..?

As far as PT's... DO NOT DISMISS THEM. They are the one place you can game the system. Those scores are doubled, then added to your written portion along with essays. SO, if you can nail those, you actually get the "carry over" in the doubling to offset lower essays.

There is a skill to those, and kids who think you cannot study for them are wrong. I did 10 real PTs released from the CA bar, under timed and stressful situations. It sucked, but it was worth it.

One trick is to make sure you bold or underline case names and so forth in the body of the PT so that the grader sees you are using it. You can use it wrong, or barely use it all ! JUST HIGHLIGHT IT and get it in there. They are not going to read these deeply, and as long as you coherently use the cases and library materials, you will score.

And, if you did not already know: There is ALWAYS a guiding concept/form/law/list/rule of some sort in the file and you have to find it. It will drive the analysis. Sometimes it is a client's "demand list" or it may be a municipal code's elements, or a 3 part test from a case on whatever....
Either way, it is always there. Find it.

So, you seem to have a plan and are working at it. Good job. I was afraid you were floundering on your own. But, you seem a bit dismissive of the PT, and that concerns me. If you are weak on the Bar overall, the PTs are likely your friend for points.... Embrace them. They suck, but the can help.

Look at the exam as your chance to show them what you know. There are no tricks, it is all fundamentals.

Know your BLL, and refine your essay style (IRAC !) so that it is concise, clear and only applies given facts to the applicable law.

NOTHING ELSE. This is not law school with love for nonsense: "however, X may argue that... and "one time in band camp..."

Just the fundamentals. Nail them, and you will pass. Fundamentals. Period. \

[AntiHuman]

If you're looking at Arizona, please note they're a UBE state. You can waive into Colorado, Minnesota, Washington , and other states like Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Missouri, etc.

So if I take Arizona and I get a 270+ on the UBE(how hard is that?) then I can automatically get into Washington?

[Bikeflip]

If you're looking at Arizona, please note they're a UBE state. You can waive into Colorado, Minnesota, Washington , and other states like Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Missouri, etc.

So if I take Arizona and I get a 270+ on the UBE(how hard is that?) then I can automatically get into Washington?

Automatically? Not quite. You need to ensure that your UBE score is high enough to actually transfer your score to Washington, which is indeed a 270. Other UBE states have higher passing requirements: 276 for Colorado and 280 for Idaho. You'll then need to follow Washington's score transfer procedures, outlined below:

Transferring A UBE Score

If you have a UBE score of 270 or higher from another state, you can transfer your score to Washington for up to 40 months after the date of the administration of the UBE in which the score was earned. The MPRE score must be acquired 3 years before or after the date you sat for the UBE. You must have sat for the full UBE. Washington only accepts official UBE score transcripts in their entirety. We do not accept score transfers for the individual test components, nor do we allow applicants to register for select parts of the exam.

UBE transfer applicants must have an acceptable UBE transfer score at the time of application. UBE transfer applicants may start an application at anytime, but must submit a completed application and payment by the bar exam late filing deadline (no late fees will be assessed for UBE transfer applicants).
For UBE transfer applicants who are licensed in another jurisdiction, it takes approximately 4-6 months from the time an application is submitted for the application to be approved.
For applicants who have never been admitted in another jurisdiction, it takes approximately 2-3 months from the time an application is submitted for the application to be approved.
Once the application is approved, applicants will receive an email notification.

Also note the following for Washington:

Washington Law Component (WLC)

In order to be admitted to practice law in Washington, you must successfully pass the Washington Law Component. This online test is based on the Washington Law Component (WLC) Research Materials, which include 15 outlines on various subjects of law. The purpose of the WLC is to educate new lawyers in Washington about areas of law that are unique to Washington law or that are substantially different from the law tested on the Uniform Bar Exam.
You will be able to access the test from your online admissions account after you submit your application and pay the application fee. There are 60 multiple choice questions to be answered in no more than four hours. You will have access to the research materials while taking the test. You must answer 80% of the questions correctly to pass.
Any discrepancy or conflict between the information provided here and the rules and regulations set by the Washington State Supreme Court, or the bylaws and policies of the Washington State Bar Association, is unintentional and will be resolved in favor of strict compliance with the rules, regulations, bylaws and policies.

For more info: http://www.wsba.org/Licensing-and-Lawye ... m-Bar-Exam

[memo2partner]

If you want an easy bar exam, go with Passachusetts.

[lawdawg09]

For each MBE subject, I am fully simulating 6 essays and doing 100 MBE's until Jan 20th. So far I only have evidence and real property left to do

You need to do much more than that if you were getting 55s and under 120 on MBE.

If you are getting consistent 55s, you need to write out every essay you can get your hands on, compare them to the released answers and then rewrite them.

The bar is not an intelligence test, you have to put the work in. 6 essays is not going to cut it.

[rad lulz]

m

[horriblegb]

If you're looking at Arizona, please note they're a UBE state. You can waive into Colorado, Minnesota, Washington , and other states like Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Missouri, etc.

So if I take Arizona and I get a 270+ on the UBE(how hard is that?) then I can automatically get into Washington?

Also, you need a 273 for AZ. Might seem negligible but if you are right on the border then "technically" washington is easier.

[Greg202020]

I took the CA bar in July 2013 and got around 1390. I took the UBE in Missouri and studied just as diligently and just got my score above 290, which can work in any UBE state (& DC because the MBE was above 133).

It was far easier than the CA bar. Missouri also impressed me with their efficiency in all aspects of the process.

I initially chose a state with a lower passing score because I wanted to minimize my chance of another fail, and now I can explore opportunities elsewhere.

One other benefit of the UBE for me was that it tested more like law school ... Majority of states...minority of states, rather than trying to keep straight CA law vs. non-CA.

[uvauvauva]

Don't give up on cali. Keep retaking it and retaking it. Your whole famliy is there. What are you going to do without them in a state like FL, TX, MA, WA and AZ?

Keep your chin up. That is my advice.