Tales from people who have failed the bar multiple times - is it hard getting a job? Forum

[cjc2015]

Just took the bar this Feb for the second time and to say the least, I don't feel great about it. I'm not giving up and will keep taking it until I pass. My worry at this point is getting a job after failing multiple times.

Is it insanely difficult to get hired? Do interviewers see your date of graduation, year of no work on the resume and ask what happened, to which you have to explain the bar?

Tales from those who have been through this experience would be super helpful. Feeling worried and hopeless!

[waxecstatic]

I failed the February 2015 Bar Exam by about 14 points. I did not take the July 2014 Bar Exam because I was undergoing some depression and anxiety issues and simply couldn't study well at all. I passed the July 2015 Bar Exam by 9 points.

Truthfully, between June 2014 and October 2015, my life was rough--I won't lie. But compared to people who live in third world countries, or in war-torn areas, it wasn't bad at all. Okay, enough about the whole philosophical thing.

Honestly, it was rough, man. I worked the stupidest, lamest, most pointless jobs. Administrative assistant for 11 dollars an hour, customer service for 11.50 an hour, and my highest paying job--office coordinator at a community college for 14 bucks an hour. All while staring down 150K in debt from a second tier law school and 80K in debt from a top 25 liberal arts college. People from high school who never went to college were living the dream compared to me.

You might be asking yourself why I didn't apply for a job at a law firm as a paralegal or legal assistant. The unfortunate reality is many of these jobs explicitly say that JDs need not apply. While one with a law degree is obviously overqualified for such positions, they could still learn a lot about the day to day functioning of the legal practice. But the HR people at these law firms look for people who are not going to be seeking attorney positions at the firm once they pass the bar, or give them any hint that being a paralegal or LA is just the first step before they become an attorney at the firm. Even after I passed the bar, I applied for jobs at law firms as a paralegal. Never even got an interview. Many people with JDs are simply ineligible for these jobs. I'm not sure if clerkships require bar passage. You could look into that, but they usually require a lengthy commitment.

When I passed, the following things changed--my confidence, my self-esteem and my ability to put myself out there. Today I have a JD advantage job in compliance. It doesn't require bar passage although there are attorneys working there. It's great because you do some of the same work an attorney does minus the hours. The pay is decent--about 70K a year. There is a legal department and there's a compliance department and they basically work in tandem.

Between passing and finding a compliance job, I worked doc review. Most doc review positions require bar passage, although the state in which you've passed usually doesn't matter. You just have to have passed in one of the 50 states. I did doc review assignments in Mass and CT. Typically they pay between $25 and $30 an hour (though some paid as low as $20 an hour), but it's unsteady work. Some assignments never begin after the staffing agency tells you it should begin and day now, and some are drastically cut short. Overtime is becoming increasingly rare. The best doc review jobs are those that require you to know a second language. I've seen some gigs in New York that pay $70 an hour (with OT at $105) an hour for people who know German. And the work isn't hard at all. Most people are zoned out listening to music all day.

My advice to you would be to put the bar exam out of your head for now and look for JD advantage jobs on LinkedIn. The only reason I didn't do this was because when I failed the bar I felt like I was nothing and couldn't bring myself out into the real world. But you aren't going to look at yourself like that all. Know that you're an intelligent person and that you have a lot of potential. Good luck.

[StaceyS]

I failed the February 2015 Bar Exam by about 14 points. I did not take the July 2014 Bar Exam because I was undergoing some depression and anxiety issues and simply couldn't study well at all. I passed the July 2015 Bar Exam by 9 points.

Truthfully, between June 2014 and October 2015, my life was rough--I won't lie. But compared to people who live in third world countries, or in war-torn areas, it wasn't bad at all. Okay, enough about the whole philosophical thing.

Honestly, it was rough, man. I worked the stupidest, lamest, most pointless jobs. Administrative assistant for 11 dollars an hour, customer service for 11.50 an hour, and my highest paying job--office coordinator at a community college for 14 bucks an hour. All while staring down 150K in debt from a second tier law school and 80K in debt from a top 25 liberal arts college. People from high school who never went to college were living the dream compared to me.

You might be asking yourself why I didn't apply for a job at a law firm as a paralegal or legal assistant. The unfortunate reality is many of these jobs explicitly say that JDs need not apply. While one with a law degree is obviously overqualified for such positions, they could still learn a lot about the day to day functioning of the legal practice. But the HR people at these law firms look for people who are not going to be seeking attorney positions at the firm once they pass the bar, or give them any hint that being a paralegal or LA is just the first step before they become an attorney at the firm. Even after I passed the bar, I applied for jobs at law firms as a paralegal. Never even got an interview. Many people with JDs are simply ineligible for these jobs. I'm not sure if clerkships require bar passage. You could look into that, but they usually require a lengthy commitment.

When I passed, the following things changed--my confidence, my self-esteem and my ability to put myself out there. Today I have a JD advantage job in compliance. It doesn't require bar passage although there are attorneys working there. It's great because you do some of the same work an attorney does minus the hours. The pay is decent--about 70K a year. There is a legal department and there's a compliance department and they basically work in tandem.

Between passing and finding a compliance job, I worked doc review. Most doc review positions require bar passage, although the state in which you've passed usually doesn't matter. You just have to have passed in one of the 50 states. I did doc review assignments in Mass and CT. Typically they pay between $25 and $30 an hour (though some paid as low as $20 an hour), but it's unsteady work. Some assignments never begin after the staffing agency tells you it should begin and day now, and some are drastically cut short. Overtime is becoming increasingly rare. The best doc review jobs are those that require you to know a second language. I've seen some gigs in New York that pay $70 an hour (with OT at $105) an hour for people who know German. And the work isn't hard at all. Most people are zoned out listening to music all day.

My advice to you would be to put the bar exam out of your head for now and look for JD advantage jobs on LinkedIn. The only reason I didn't do this was because when I failed the bar I felt like I was nothing and couldn't bring myself out into the real world. But you aren't going to look at yourself like that all. Know that you're an intelligent person and that you have a lot of potential. Good luck.

What a very nice, encouraging post. Sorry you went through a very rough time but kudos to you for sticking it out and passing the bar. Glad things seem to have really turned around for you!

[StaceyS]

Just took the bar this Feb for the second time and to say the least, I don't feel great about it. I'm not giving up and will keep taking it until I pass. My worry at this point is getting a job after failing multiple times.

Is it insanely difficult to get hired? Do interviewers see your date of graduation, year of no work on the resume and ask what happened, to which you have to explain the bar?

Tales from those who have been through this experience would be super helpful. Feeling worried and hopeless!

Good luck! I hope you find out that you passed it...I think it's really normal to not feel good about it afterwards. I'm glad you plan to keep going until you pass it. Never give up!

[ElBence]

Honestly, I think that my job is the reason why I've failed multiple times. I took a job right out of school because the right job in the right location came along at the right time, and because I had a family to feed but student loan money had run out. My position isn't bar passage required, but is a JD preferred position. In fact, I beat out five licensed attorneys to get it.

Because my employer couldn't wait around while I took time off to study for the bar, I was on my own for studying outside of work. Granted, I only log 40 hours/week, but add a family to the equation, and you can see why I couldn't commit to Barbri, Kaplan, Adaptibar, Themis, etc. So I've been left to my own devices for studying. Add to that the fact that just before my first attempt I moved half way across the country for my job, and just before my second attempt we bought a house, and just before this most recent attempt, my daughter was born, and life gets in the way.

Bar passage means I could move within my organization (state government) to more lucrative positions, and so I've never given up. But even if I don't pass, life isn't that bad. I've got an awesome family, a nice home in normal suburbia, great work life balance, and a liberty interest in my job, and outside of bar passage required jobs, there are a number of other things I could do within my agency. Also, I've been paid to hike, fish, and hunt, so there's that.

[PersonalInjuryLawyer]

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[Tls2016]

I failed the February 2015 Bar Exam by about 14 points. I did not take the July 2014 Bar Exam because I was undergoing some depression and anxiety issues and simply couldn't study well at all. I passed the July 2015 Bar Exam by 9 points.

Truthfully, between June 2014 and October 2015, my life was rough--I won't lie. But compared to people who live in third world countries, or in war-torn areas, it wasn't bad at all. Okay, enough about the whole philosophical thing.

Honestly, it was rough, man. I worked the stupidest, lamest, most pointless jobs. Administrative assistant for 11 dollars an hour, customer service for 11.50 an hour, and my highest paying job--office coordinator at a community college for 14 bucks an hour. All while staring down 150K in debt from a second tier law school and 80K in debt from a top 25 liberal arts college. People from high school who never went to college were living the dream compared to me.

You might be asking yourself why I didn't apply for a job at a law firm as a paralegal or legal assistant. The unfortunate reality is many of these jobs explicitly say that JDs need not apply. While one with a law degree is obviously overqualified for such positions, they could still learn a lot about the day to day functioning of the legal practice. But the HR people at these law firms look for people who are not going to be seeking attorney positions at the firm once they pass the bar, or give them any hint that being a paralegal or LA is just the first step before they become an attorney at the firm. Even after I passed the bar, I applied for jobs at law firms as a paralegal. Never even got an interview. Many people with JDs are simply ineligible for these jobs. I'm not sure if clerkships require bar passage. You could look into that, but they usually require a lengthy commitment.

When I passed, the following things changed--my confidence, my self-esteem and my ability to put myself out there. Today I have a JD advantage job in compliance. It doesn't require bar passage although there are attorneys working there. It's great because you do some of the same work an attorney does minus the hours. The pay is decent--about 70K a year. There is a legal department and there's a compliance department and they basically work in tandem.

Between passing and finding a compliance job, I worked doc review. Most doc review positions require bar passage, although the state in which you've passed usually doesn't matter. You just have to have passed in one of the 50 states. I did doc review assignments in Mass and CT. Typically they pay between $25 and $30 an hour (though some paid as low as $20 an hour), but it's unsteady work. Some assignments never begin after the staffing agency tells you it should begin and day now, and some are drastically cut short. Overtime is becoming increasingly rare. The best doc review jobs are those that require you to know a second language. I've seen some gigs in New York that pay $70 an hour (with OT at $105) an hour for people who know German. And the work isn't hard at all. Most people are zoned out listening to music all day.

My advice to you would be to put the bar exam out of your head for now and look for JD advantage jobs on LinkedIn. The only reason I didn't do this was because when I failed the bar I felt like I was nothing and couldn't bring myself out into the real world. But you aren't going to look at yourself like that all. Know that you're an intelligent person and that you have a lot of potential. Good luck.

This is an inspiring post. Sorry you struggled but you persevered. Preserving in spite of being depressed and down on yourself is quite an achievement.
Thanks for posting.

[InTheWideLand I Walk]

Continuous bar failure will NOT prevent u from getting a job. As long as you get QUALITY work experience. Doesnt matter if its full time, contract work, or volunteer work.

Its just hard to do while ur studying for thr bar. Thats why you will stand out over the happy go lucky new law grad with no experience who passed first try.