Pieper v Themis NY Bar 2014 Forum

[jenna631]

Hi
I am set to sit the NY Bar in July as a foreign qualified attorney and was wondering if anyone has any good or bad experiences of Pieper or Themis to share in regards to Bar prep and if they would recommend either provider. I was set to sign up with Pieper by Themis just seems so much more affordable.

thanks

Jenna

[jenna631]

I really need to make this decision soon so any advice/experience that anyone could share would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[newyorker88]

I don't know anything about Pieper but Themis has gotten good reviews on this site.

[northwood]

Themis is an online only bar course. I believe you get all of the handouts and outlines, and watch the lectures at your pleasure, wherever you want to. I believe you fill in the blank for the notes. I do not know about what they make you do since when I found out it is a learn and go at your own pace program, I knew it wasnt for me ( I need to be told where to go and given a structured environment to study during the summer or else I will procrastinate and not study)

Pieper is a DVD in class course ( live only in NYC). You get very detailed outlines, but are responsible for taking all of your notes in class ( you can watch the lectures online if you miss class or fall behind). You are required to write and turn in 6 essays, but can turn in more. THey give you homework assignments and a recommended study schedule. Its targeted audience are those that like to write out their own notes, use mnemonics and whatnot. It is New York specific law, and it is double the cost of Themis.

[dudnaito]

Themis is an online only bar course. I believe you get all of the handouts and outlines, and watch the lectures at your pleasure, wherever you want to. I believe you fill in the blank for the notes. I do not know about what they make you do since when I found out it is a learn and go at your own pace program, I knew it wasnt for me ( I need to be told where to go and given a structured environment to study during the summer or else I will procrastinate and not study)

Pieper is a DVD in class course ( live only in NYC). You get very detailed outlines, but are responsible for taking all of your notes in class ( you can watch the lectures online if you miss class or fall behind). You are required to write and turn in 6 essays, but can turn in more. THey give you homework assignments and a recommended study schedule. Its targeted audience are those that like to write out their own notes, use mnemonics and whatnot. It is New York specific law, and it is double the cost of Themis.

Just to clarify, Themis does have an option where the scheduler will adjust the schedule at your pace (it keeps track of your progress), but there is a recommended pace, and seeing the "adjusted schedule" force more and more activities in a single day is a pretty frightening experience.

[iiifly]

I just took the NY Bar in Feb and passed.

I thoroughly researched Bar prep courses, here's what I concluded:

Barbri is for ABA Schooled Students who are getting their tuition paid for or want to be safe.
Themis is good for those who are in the top half of their law school class and can be disciplined in their study. Good price.
You take Pieper if you need to learn everything from scratch. This is usually the way to go for foreign attorneys. Their content is a bit overwhelming, and frankly, if you are not a good student you probably will end up drowning in this program. Start early! Did you graduate from a Canadian or UK law school? If so, then you could go with Themis but you must do 2,000 mbe qs at minimum.

I ended up using a mix of materials across bar prep programs that I liked.