• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Bar Exam Toolbox®

Get the tools you need for bar exam success

  • I Failed!
  • Tutoring
  • Courses
    • Writing Help: Essays/PT
    • MBE Help
    • Self-Study Program
    • Options – California
    • Options – UBE
    • Options – FYLSE (Baby Bar)
  • Bar Exam 101
  • About
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Login

Hillary Vaillancourt

About Hillary Vaillancourt

Hillary Vaillancourt is a lawyer and writer at The Vaillancourt Law Firm, LLC. She has experience in a wide variety of matters including food law, education law, real estate law, family law, criminal law, contracts, and estate planning. She earned her JD from New England Law|Boston and is licensed in Virginia.

Three Things To Consider When Taking The Bar Exam While Pregnant

December 20, 2021 By Hillary Vaillancourt Leave a Comment

Three Things To Consider When Taking The Bar Exam While PregnantSeveral years ago, a friend from law school needed to take the bar exam to get licensed in a different state for her job. At the time, she was almost in her third trimester of her first pregnancy, and I had just given birth to my first child. I was absolutely in awe of her. Having gone through my own first pregnancy, I couldn’t imagine also taking the bar exam during that time.

Yet, every year many pregnant women take and pass the bar exam. One notable woman in 2020 even gave birth between the two days of the exam and passed! Suffice to say, it is indeed possible to not only take the bar exam while pregnant but also to pass.

Although possible, it is important to remember that the bar exam is a stressful, challenging situation under most circumstances. For those exam takers who are sitting for the bar while pregnant, there are some special factors to consider.

[Read more…] about Three Things To Consider When Taking The Bar Exam While Pregnant

How To Get Licensed To Practice Law In Multiple Jurisdictions

October 13, 2021 By Hillary Vaillancourt Leave a Comment

How To Get Licensed To Practice Law In Multiple JurisdictionsWhen I began my legal career, I never expected to practice law in multiple jurisdictions. I went to law school in Boston, and even though I was madly in love with Boston, I knew right from the start that I would return to Virginia and practice law there. I never had any idea that I would practice in Virginia, New York, and now North Carolina or that I would have a law partner who practices in three additional jurisdictions.

Why would an attorney want to get licensed in multiple jurisdictions? Well, sometimes it’s not so much a matter of wanting to be in multiple jurisdictions but rather a necessity.

For example, despite the fact that I’m already licensed in three jurisdictions, I live right on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina. I live on the North Carolina side, but the state line is just seven minutes away. This means I could draw potential clients from both states. It makes sense that I also get licensed in South Carolina. [Read more…] about How To Get Licensed To Practice Law In Multiple Jurisdictions

Three Fun Activities For Kinesthetic Learners Studying For The Bar Exam

August 18, 2021 By Hillary Vaillancourt Leave a Comment

Three Fun Activities For Kinesthetic Learners Studying For The Bar ExamAuditory learning, visual learning, and kinesthetic learning are different types of learning styles, meaning different ways in which students process information most effectively. Auditory learners understand lessons best when they hear the information. Visual learners learn most effectively by seeing the information. Kinesthetic learners are most successful when they’re able to use their whole body to understand a concept. These learners tend to learn best by “doing” rather than hearing or seeing.

Many of us need a combination of learning styles to really grasp new information. Unfortunately, law school is typically driven by one type of learning style—auditory learning. It makes some sense. After all, law school is meant to prepare us for the practice of law. Litigating a case is an extremely auditory process. For auditory learners, this curriculum is a positive. For others who don’t learn as well by listening, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to incorporate your own style of learning. [Read more…] about Three Fun Activities For Kinesthetic Learners Studying For The Bar Exam

Two Ways Mantras Help You Study For The Bar Exam

July 26, 2021 By Hillary Vaillancourt Leave a Comment

Two Ways Mantras Help You Study For The Bar ExamMantras, words, slogans, or phrases that are repeated, have played an important role in helping me cope with difficult situations. From running half marathons to giving birth to my daughter at home without any medication, mantras have motivated me to do my best, to not give up, and to even enjoy situations that I once dreaded.

The trick to effective mantras is to find ones that motivate you in a specific situation. Some of my mantras for helping me run hills, for example, didn’t necessarily help me have a natural birth. Mantras like, “these hills make my butt look good!” definitely missed the mark during the labor!

Other mantras like “breathe” work in just about every situation. Practicing mantras as part of your preparation for the bar exam will help ensure that the mantras you choose are effective for you on the day of the exam.

But, can mantras actually help you pass the bar exam? Sure! Here’s why.

[Read more…] about Two Ways Mantras Help You Study For The Bar Exam

Do’s And Don’ts For Studying The Night Before The Bar Exam

July 21, 2021 By Hillary Vaillancourt Leave a Comment

Do’s And Don’t’s For Studying The Night Before The Bar ExamThe bar exam is scheduled to take place in the morning, and you need to know whether to cram a few more practice questions in? Or, do you brush up on the Rule Against Perpetuities? Do you have your mnemonic for the hearsay exceptions down cold? Also, don’t forget to relax, and breathe, and whatever you do, don’t stress!

Basically, the night before the exam can be a difficult time for many test-takers. The reality that there will be no more opportunities to study, no more practice exams, no more rehearsals, can be daunting. For me, I was fine preparing for most of my practice exams, because I knew full well that these were simply practice.

Arriving to my hotel before the bar exam and realizing this exam was for all the marbles—that was scary.

Here’s what you need to know about making the most of the night before your bar exam.

[Read more…] about Do’s And Don’ts For Studying The Night Before The Bar Exam

Confessions of a Bar Examinee: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

June 23, 2021 By Hillary Vaillancourt Leave a Comment

Confessions of A Bar Examinee: The Good, The Bad, And The UglyAny good bar exam preparation program will show you how to break down a bar exam essay, how to analyze a multiple choice question, and how to focus your studies on the subjects and areas that matter most. Some programs are better than others (like Bar Exam Toolbox!), however what these programs don’t cover are the hidden issues with taking the bar.

For example, did you know that you will have to travel, sometimes really far away to take the bar exam? The MPRE, the ethics portion of getting licensed to practice law, is often offered in many more locations than the bar exam itself. Other standardized tests like the SAT and LSAT are offered in numerous places giving test takers ample opportunity to take the exams in a place convenient to them. The bar exam? Not so much.

Here is something good, bad, and ugly that may surprise you about taking the bar exam. [Read more…] about Confessions of a Bar Examinee: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Us

Want to pass the bar exam? Of course you do! We’re here to help. You’ll find lots of helpful free content at Bar Exam 101, in the Bar Exam Resource Hub, and on the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast. For more hands-on help, take a look at our courses and workshops and bar exam tutoring options. Please get in touch with any questions!

COVID-19 Updates

Please visit the COVID-19 updates page for the latest news on bar exam postponements.

Recent Posts

What to Keep in Mind One Month Before the Bar

What to Keep in Mind One Month Before the Bar

The month leading up to the exam can be nerve-racking. So much goes through one’s mind as the exam date approaches. You may be asking yourself: how … [Read More...] about What to Keep in Mind One Month Before the Bar

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 181: Listen and Learn — Parol Evidence (Contracts)

Welcome back to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast! Today we're talking about the parol evidence rule, which governs evidence that parties to a contract … [Read More...] about Podcast Episode 181: Listen and Learn — Parol Evidence (Contracts)

Tips for MBE Practice Questions

Tips for MBE Practice Questions

On the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) portion, you will have a three-hour timeframe to answer 200 multiple-choice questions. Of the MBE portion, 175 … [Read More...] about Tips for MBE Practice Questions

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 180: Listen and Learn — Venue (Federal Civil Procedure)

Welcome back to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast! Today we are digging into a commonly-tested bar exam topic in Federal Civil Procedure – determining … [Read More...] about Podcast Episode 180: Listen and Learn — Venue (Federal Civil Procedure)

Re-Taker Advice

Re-Taker Advice

Confronting the bar exam again is difficult. You may be feeling overwhelmed with thoughts of failure and second-guessing whether passing is possible … [Read More...] about Re-Taker Advice

Need to Pass the Bar Exam?

Sign up for our free weekly email with useful tips!

Footer

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • I Failed!
  • Tutoring
  • Courses
  • Bar Exam 101
  • About
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Login
  • Privacy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Refunds
  • Contact

Copyright 2022 Bar Exam Toolbox®™