I think it’s probably safe to say that the bar exam in 2020 was a bit of a disaster. So many news stories, headlines, and examples of the bar exam gone wrong. In several lawyer groups I’m involved in, there have been frequent complaints, disparaging comments, and outright arguments about the bar exam and its usefulness. Comments like, “Just let students apprentice!” or “I never learned a thing from the bar” are all too common.
Love the bar or hate it, I can honestly say that I learned a great deal from the bar exam. [Read more…] about What I Learned From The Bar Exam (Besides The Law)
For years I’ve run half marathons including the Philadelphia Half Marathon, Disneyworld Half Marathon, and Colonial Williamsburg Half Marathon. Each race has its unique challenges. Some have higher elevations. Some have flat courses, which surprisingly are challenging in a different way than hilly races. But, one part of running races remains the same no matter where the course is: tapering.
Growing up, my family didn’t have a lot of money. In fact, my mom’s favorite saying is, “I may not have been able to give you a lot, but I sure taught you how to make lemonade out of lemons.” I didn’t have a lot throughout law school, either, so when it came time to prepare for my first bar exam ten years ago, I was a little shocked to see the staggeringly expensive cost of most bar prep programs.
I recently sat through a presentation on wedding planning. The presenter spent twenty minutes listing all the things that had to be done before the wedding, and then ended the presentation on the wedding day. Having been through my own wedding, I can say without pause, that the presentation left out a lot of information. There are so many things that need to get done after the wedding is over that nobody tells you about during wedding planning.
If you have a family, then you know how difficult it can be to balance anything with family life. Between kids’ activities, school, playtime, mealtime, bedtime, and all the other responsibilities that come with being a parent, it is hard to find any time for yourself let alone time for studying for the bar exam. What may feel like an obstacle may instead be your secret weapon!
When I was a law student, the bar exam felt like a challenge way off in the distance. I figured I better put my energy towards getting through law school first, and then, I could worry about the bar exam. What I didn’t realize then is that there are plenty of ways to both study in law school and simultaneously prepare for the bar exam.