2019 July California Bar Forum

[Animal_Activist]

I am taking the exam in Ontario as well. I took it last time in Pasadena. For anyone taking it in Pasadena, my advice is to bring your own lunch but given the fact that there are about 5-6 restaurant choices right across the street from the convention center, if you can get out of the examination room faster than half the people slowly walking out, you could quickly be seated for lunch at Islands, Rubios, or any of the few other food places. Pasadena was also a great experience for me and the room was kept cool but not freezing.

[jc9812]

I'm getting last minute panic attacks here. The model CA essays are way, way, way too intense for anyone to actually have done.

Can someone here verify, that they really were submitted by a real examniee, that they let the examine know that he got the best answer, asking his permission to post it as a model answer...

They're real but they're the top few answers in the entire state. You can pass without being that. But I know what you mean, it sucks having them to measure my own answers against since I'll clearly fall short of them every time.

[wildmadagascar]

Do the top essays that are chosen as model answers get an email that they will be the model answers?

An email I'm not sure, but the State bar says the model answers were written by applicants who passed the exam after one read, and that they obtained consent from the answer writers.

[Pema]

draft the “Legal Argument” portion of the District Attorney’s brief opposing a defendant’s motion to

Should this be memo format as opposed to brief format? To: DA/From: Applicant / Headings/body/conclusion? Thanks.

[wildmadagascar]

Can you use "truth" as a defense to slander per se?

[ReasonablePersonSSC]

Can you use "truth" as a defense to slander per se?

I remember slander per se with the mnemonic CLUB..crime, loathsome, disease, and business.Truth is an absolute defense to defamation (libel or slander) per se. This means that even if the statement would be considered defamatory per se if false, if the defendant establishes that it's in fact true, an action cannot survive.

[Bingo_Bongo]

Do the top essays that are chosen as model answers get an email that they will be the model answers?

I don't know how/if they're notified, but yes, the model essays are the only two essays that received 100/100 scores in the state. I'm guessing the applicants who write them get really lucky to have a subject and issues pop up that they happen to know a lot about for some reason (maybe they're a TA for a class where they've taught it for the last two years; maybe they have a lot of experience with it, ect).

Honestly, though, if it makes you feel better, a lot of the model answers aren't super impressive. A lot contain quite a few misstatements of the law and occasionally an incorrect conclusion here and there.

[Pema]

Do the top essays that are chosen as model answers get an email that they will be the model answers?

I don't know how/if they're notified, but yes, the model essays are the only two essays that received 100/100 scores in the state. I'm guessing the applicants who write them get really lucky to have a subject and issues pop up that they happen to know a lot about for some reason (maybe they're a TA for a class where they've taught it for the last two years; maybe they have a lot of experience with it, ect).

Honestly, though, if it makes you feel better, a lot of the model answers aren't super impressive. A lot contain quite a few misstatements of the law and occasionally an incorrect conclusion here and there.

100/100 scores?

[2k16L1]

Do the top essays that are chosen as model answers get an email that they will be the model answers?

I don't know how/if they're notified, but yes, the model essays are the only two essays that received 100/100 scores in the state. I'm guessing the applicants who write them get really lucky to have a subject and issues pop up that they happen to know a lot about for some reason (maybe they're a TA for a class where they've taught it for the last two years; maybe they have a lot of experience with it, ect).

Honestly, though, if it makes you feel better, a lot of the model answers aren't super impressive. A lot contain quite a few misstatements of the law and occasionally an incorrect conclusion here and there.

100/100 scores?

Makes me feel better about aiming for a 65.

[wildmadagascar]

any thoughts on Santa Clara Convention Center?

And is it true that we don't get our scores if we pass?

[Crtxlaw]

We don’t have to bring a blank USB to go with our computer do we? Idk why I feel like I read that somewhere but I can’t find anything about it so I just want to triple check.

[2k16L1]

We don’t have to bring a blank USB to go with our computer do we? Idk why I feel like I read that somewhere but I can’t find anything about it so I just want to triple check.

Why would we need a USB for?

[Bingo_Bongo]

Do the top essays that are chosen as model answers get an email that they will be the model answers?

I don't know how/if they're notified, but yes, the model essays are the only two essays that received 100/100 scores in the state. I'm guessing the applicants who write them get really lucky to have a subject and issues pop up that they happen to know a lot about for some reason (maybe they're a TA for a class where they've taught it for the last two years; maybe they have a lot of experience with it, ect).

Honestly, though, if it makes you feel better, a lot of the model answers aren't super impressive. A lot contain quite a few misstatements of the law and occasionally an incorrect conclusion here and there.

100/100 scores?

Makes me feel better about aiming for a 65.

Yep. The models the bar releases are the only two essays that receive the 100 score in the entire state.

If you have a baressays.com account, you can look at some of the 65 essays. They're generally quite a bit worse than the 100s. Honestly, you can screw quite a bit of stuff up and still get a passing score.

[Crtxlaw]

We don’t have to bring a blank USB to go with our computer do we? Idk why I feel like I read that somewhere but I can’t find anything about it so I just want to triple check.

Why would we need a USB for?

Dude I don’t even know haha. This test just has me frazzled and I want to make sure I cover my bases

[Billy Batts]

Do the top essays that are chosen as model answers get an email that they will be the model answers?

I don't know how/if they're notified, but yes, the model essays are the only two essays that received 100/100 scores in the state. I'm guessing the applicants who write them get really lucky to have a subject and issues pop up that they happen to know a lot about for some reason (maybe they're a TA for a class where they've taught it for the last two years; maybe they have a lot of experience with it, ect).

Honestly, though, if it makes you feel better, a lot of the model answers aren't super impressive. A lot contain quite a few misstatements of the law and occasionally an incorrect conclusion here and there.

100/100 scores?

Makes me feel better about aiming for a 65.

Yep. The models the bar releases are the only two essays that receive the 100 score in the entire state.

If you have a baressays.com account, you can look at some of the 65 essays. They're generally quite a bit worse than the 100s. Honestly, you can screw quite a bit of stuff up and still get a passing score.

And if you can manage a 75 on one of them, you can mess up another one really bad.

[rcharter1978]

any thoughts on Santa Clara Convention Center?

And is it true that we don't get our scores if we pass?

No scores if you pass - just a sweet little letter of congratulations.

[Happy88]

is it realistic to dream of improving my overall score by 300+ points?

[wildmadagascar]

https://mberules.com/california-bar-exa ... alculator/

is this calculator correct? So you don't need a 65 on all essays to pass, if you score about 1500 in the MBE?

[Miss-Bubbled]

CA Bar Leaked the Subjects?!

[jc9812]

yeah the subjects are out.

can anyone speak to what effect this will have on the curve? i imagine not good.

[ReasonableNprudent]

Wow. Egg on the bar examiners' face!!!

I'm not an expert on "the curve," but my guess is the impact this release has on who passes and who doesn't will be minimal.

We don't know how early this list was supposedly sent to the deans. Likely, the mistake was recognized quickly and the list was sent out almost immediately after the error.

Everybody has in theory been studying the gamut of subjects until release of the list, and now everyone (for these last couple days) will be studying the indicated subjects. Those that have been under-preparing can now cram, but those that have been properly preparing are now in hyper-focus review mode eliminating wasted efforts on irrelevant subjects. Those that were under-preparing are now better situated for cramming, but, if the more diligent students also prep hard on these subjects, these better-prepared test-takers will still have that jump on the late-comers.

In the end, I think the curve tightens, but who passes and who doesn't is mostly unaffected.

[wildmadagascar]

Umm Question 2. What the heck?

[Atmosphere]

coming out of retirement to say wow @ the california bar leak, this is what dreams are made of~*~*~*~*~~~

[Ciedam08]

yeah the subjects are out.

can anyone speak to what effect this will have on the curve? i imagine not good.

My thoughts exactly!

[Atmosphere]

do well on the MBE, we’re in unprecedented territory. good luck everyone.