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Figured we could collect MA discussions here.

Does anyone know what is up with letters of recommendation. Their application is supposed to be online, yet they write: "Applicants for admission
to the bar must file two letters of recommendation with their application and not under separate cover."

Pokemon wrote:Figured we could collect MA discussions here.

Does anyone know what is up with letters of recommendation. Their application is supposed to be online, yet they write: "Applicants for admission
to the bar must file two letters of recommendation with their application and not under separate cover."

What? No, the application is not online. I mean, it is available online, but you need to print it and submit it by mail to the clerk's office.

Send all of the above materials and filing fees to the following mailing address:
Maura S. Doyle, Clerk
Supreme Judicial Court for The County of Suffolk
John Adams Courthouse, 1st Floor
One Pemberton Square, Suite 1300
Boston, MA 02108-1707

NOTE: Incomplete Applications for Admission will not be accepted for filing by the Clerk's Office

from: http://www.mass.gov/courts/court-info/s ... tion-.html

You have to submit it by mail or in person. I submitted mine in person. You can NOT submit the application online. Who ever told you that was mistaken.

How's studying going? I'm finding it hard to be motivated. This is my second and I'm doing self-study, which might not have been the best idea.

Does anyone know if there are special rules for testimonial/non-testimonial evidence for MA evidence essays? I've been practicing with Barbri's 2013 essay book, and there have been a couple of issues involving police reports containing witness statements. The sample answers don't even pay lip service to confrontation clause and testimonial evidence problems. Am I just overthinking things (maybe Barbri doesn't update their sample answers and these essays are from before Crawford)?

Does anyone know if the MBE and essays are equally weighted? Or if not which is worth more? Thanks!

annalisa wrote:Does anyone know if the MBE and essays are equally weighted? Or if not which is worth more? Thanks!

My understanding is that they are equally weighted. So the good news is that you can still pass if you do badly on the MBE and well on the essays. But I believe that also means that you can't pass one section and fail the other; if you fail you have to retake the whole test.

Does anyone know if MA has an outline of the essay topics? Specifically I'm wondering if the judicial rules of professional responsibility matter, or if I should just throw those flash cards away. Thanks!

annalisa wrote:Does anyone know if MA has an outline of the essay topics? Specifically I'm wondering if the judicial rules of professional responsibility matter, or if I should just throw those flash cards away. Thanks!

Here's the list I have:

Torts
Contracts
Wills
Real Property
Evidence
Crim
Civ Pro
Domestic Relations
Con Law
Federal Jurisdiction
Crim Pro
Professional Responsibility
Trusts
Corporations
Chap. 93A
Partnership
Agency
Commercial Paper
Mortgages
Secured Transactions

That's in order of frequency over the past years, so probably at lease worth looking at. Looks like it's come up twice in the last six.

From Barbri, available here: --LinkRemoved--

Does anyone know if the Mass Bar tests on Choice of Law? It's not listed up there ^, but maybe it is rolled in with Civ Pro or Jurisdiction? NY treated it as a separate subject, so I am not sure whether I should study it or not, but I would be extremely happy if I don't have to.

Thanks!

Entchen wrote:Does anyone know if the Mass Bar tests on Choice of Law? It's not listed up there ^, but maybe it is rolled in with Civ Pro or Jurisdiction? NY treated it as a separate subject, so I am not sure whether I should study it or not, but I would be extremely happy if I don't have to.

Thanks!

I feel as though it doesn't test choice of law unless it's like a really generic issue in federal civil procedure. Aside from that, my materials haven't covered it (I'm using Themis).

numbertwo88 wrote:

Entchen wrote:Does anyone know if the Mass Bar tests on Choice of Law? It's not listed up there ^, but maybe it is rolled in with Civ Pro or Jurisdiction? NY treated it as a separate subject, so I am not sure whether I should study it or not, but I would be extremely happy if I don't have to.

Thanks!

I feel as though it doesn't test choice of law unless it's like a really generic issue in federal civil procedure. Aside from that, my materials haven't covered it (I'm using Themis).

Thanks!

How'd everybody feel about that?

Did Boston people have SofTest issues? I was in Springfield, with way fewer people, so no problems with the wi-fi, but I heard potential horror stories.

angua wrote:How'd everybody feel about that?

Did Boston people have SofTest issues? I was in Springfield, with way fewer people, so no problems with the wi-fi, but I heard potential horror stories.

I took it in Boston and to my knowledge there weren't any ExamSoft issues. I was mostly just worried about myself but no one I know who took the exam encountered any difficulties.

I was VERY upset over the essays. That isn't to say I didn't feel prepared because I did - I just was expecting questions on domestic relations, secured transactions, corporations, and commercial paper. If I knew I didn't need to know commercial paper and secured transactions I could've saved myself a lot of time this summer.

numbertwo88 wrote:

angua wrote:How'd everybody feel about that?

Did Boston people have SofTest issues? I was in Springfield, with way fewer people, so no problems with the wi-fi, but I heard potential horror stories.

I took it in Boston and to my knowledge there weren't any ExamSoft issues. I was mostly just worried about myself but no one I know who took the exam encountered any difficulties.

I was VERY upset over the essays. That isn't to say I didn't feel prepared because I did - I just was expecting questions on domestic relations, secured transactions, corporations, and commercial paper. If I knew I didn't need to know commercial paper and secured transactions I could've saved myself a lot of time this summer.

I wasted so much time on so many topics, and still failed to be tested on things I actually knew in Connecticut. I got lucky in MA except one of those evidence questions had me in WTF mode, and one of the civ pro essays seemed slightly nutty.

I take comfort in the fact that we will probably see each other at the swearing in regardless, and we can have a good laugh then. Cheers, friend.

MA BAR EXAMINERS: Hey, let's hide family law in a weird wills question, test solely trusts on one, fuck corporations and partnership, damn that check and collateral bullshit commercial paper/secured...let's have like two contracts questions, throw some fuckin' relation back doctrine in with our Torts one, ummmm... make the evidence one really weird, like you're wondering how it's relevant...BUT WAIT it is, you gotta know the ins and outs of wrongful death torts...then analyze the hearsay shit. Oh and don't forget dat Privileges and Immunities stuff for the ConLaw essay. That's hot right now.
....
Ok?

ALL: Yeah, great. Just pay us $6/essay to grade them and we're good.

orm518 wrote:MA BAR EXAMINERS: Hey, let's hide family law in a weird wills question, test solely trusts on one, fuck corporations and partnership, damn that check and collateral bullshit commercial paper/secured...let's have like two contracts questions, throw some fuckin' relation back doctrine in with our Torts one, ummmm... make the evidence one really weird, like you're wondering how it's relevant...BUT WAIT it is, you gotta know the ins and outs of wrongful death torts...then analyze the hearsay shit. Oh and don't forget dat Privileges and Immunities stuff for the ConLaw essay. That's hot right now.
....
Ok?

ALL: Yeah, great. Just pay us $6/essay to grade them and we're good.

Seriously. But I mean, at $6 an essay, I wouldn't ask so many questions either.

How nice (or mean) are they usually when grading these suckers?

FYI, from the Board of Bar Examiners Website:

"July 2014 Bar Exam Results: The results for the July 2014 exam will sent via postal mail by October 24, 2014. The list of passing applicants will be posted on the website on Monday, October 27, 2014."

9HeadedCaesar wrote:FYI, from the Board of Bar Examiners Website:

"July 2014 Bar Exam Results: The results for the July 2014 exam will sent via postal mail by October 24, 2014. The list of passing applicants will be posted on the website on Monday, October 27, 2014."

[sic]

Nice proofreading, BBE.

orm518 wrote:

9HeadedCaesar wrote:FYI, from the Board of Bar Examiners Website:

"July 2014 Bar Exam Results: The results for the July 2014 exam will sent via postal mail by October 24, 2014. The list of passing applicants will be posted on the website on Monday, October 27, 2014."

[sic]

Nice proofreading, BBE.

Yeah, "think before your write," bar examiners. http://www.mass.gov/courts/docs/bbe/ess ... stions.pdf

I'm literally sick waiting for the next week or so.

I've also convinced myself I've failed and that isn't helping at all. Literally have never been so miserable in my life.

numbertwo88 wrote:I'm literally sick waiting for the next week or so.

I've also convinced myself I've failed and that isn't helping at all. Literally have never been so miserable in my life.

Ativan.

Any chance this means postmarked before friday? Just trying to figure out when I should start stalking my postal carrier.

From the BBE website: July 2014 Bar Exam Results: The results for the July 2014 exam will be sent via postal mail by October 24, 2014.

My friend who took the July exam last year said that she received her results in the mail on the Friday, some friends on Thursday, and others didn't even get their results in the mail until after it was posted online on the Monday.

jhilly123 wrote:My friend who took the July exam last year said that she received her results in the mail on the Friday, some friends on Thursday, and others didn't even get their results in the mail until after it was posted online on the Monday.

I'm out-of-state, though still in New England, hoping I get them in the mail by Saturday, or else it's logging online and CTR+F for my name, while having a heart attack.