node1

You might try Professor Leonard Lakin. He's very good. http://www.lakinbarexam.com.

mgill

Maxey - I am not an EBR student, but I am an EBR instructor.

One of the reasons I teach for them, as well as send MY students (I'm also a professor), is becuase the way they have set up the program is fantastic.

Anyone having MBE problems should consider Emanuel Bar Review. Not only are the materials great (the outlines you recieved are the best substantive outlines I have seen, and require them for all my students), but the lectures after the practice exam are set up in a way to be REALLY effective.

If you have any questions let me know!

__________________
Vice President, LawTutors, LLC
Tutor, Emanuel Bar Review
Adjunct Professor, Southern New England School of Law

Kate3

If any of you re-takers hate multiple choice exams and are state shopping, consider WA State or Louisiana--the only two states in the US with ALL essay exams. No MBE, MPT, MPRE crap. Just one format--essays!

I just took WA State exam (no results yet). 2 days of substantive essay questions and two hours of essay Qs on day 3. Not as daunting as it sounds, but then I am much more comfortable writing than trying to decipher ridiculous nuances between two similar multiple choice answers.

Good luck to all.

Kate3

Recently found out that I failed the WA state bar (all essay exam) by 9 measly pts. I decided not to let it get to me. Instead, I pat myself on the back for having come so close considering: 1) I studied informally on my own instead of paying thousands of $$ on a formal review class, 2) I have been out of law school/legal world for more than 10 years, and 3) I came within 1 pt or less on passing many of the Qs.

I agree with the other comments that spending more time on practice tests is a smart strategy. I also can see that my organizational skills and handwriting need improvement.

And in case anyone is wondering, yes, I plan to return to WA in July 2009 to kick butt. This time around, I will be much calmer and better prepared, now that I know what to expect.

BarExamCoach

I would recommend consulting with a tutor to read over your essay answers and pinpoint your mistakes so that you know what you need to focus on the second time around.
__________________
CA Bar Exam Tutor: BarExamCoach@gmail.com
Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley
UCLA Law Grad., 2008
Former Teaching Assistant & Academic Counselor

__________________
CA Bar Exam Tutor: BarExamCoach@gmail.com
Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley
UCLA Law Grad., 2008
Former Teaching Assistant & Academic Counselor

MultipleTaker

One of the partners in a law firm I worked for 9 years (paralegal) told me that with my English, I will never be a lawyer in NY. I failed the NY bar exam 6 times. Almost every time I miss with 10 to 20 points. I found out that I can handle depression, humiliation, student loan payments and layoff, but not the essay part of the NY bar exam. I’m foreign student and I only did LLM in a NY law school. For a multiple bar exam taker, I don’t know what to do any more. I studied long hours, followed multiple law review courses and attended study groups. I even became a pro in MBE. I will try again this summer, just because I already paid my exam fee. Then I hope I will be able to move on.

For the people who failed – I really know how you feel. Just think of me and do it again. Who knows I maybe be seating next to you on the exam :o)

Kate3

Dear Multiple Taker,

Sorry to hear about your experience. I feel your anguish. Are you sure the major problem is your command of English? Based on your post here, your English writing skills seem fine. In fact, better than many lawyers I know.

If you want to pass any state bar, consider WA State. Perhaps WA is just not as strict about essays. Compared to other states, WA essay fact patterns are very short and they expect short, tight, concise essay answers: Succinct rule (one sentence), brief analysis (one or two sentences), conclusion (one sentence), then move on to the next issue. This format is very unique, different from most state bars that have multiple pages of endless fact patterns and expect very lengthy, detailed discussions of minor legal points.

Caveat: If you write essays, learn from my mistake: graders deduct points for bad handwriting and weak organization (although they don't seem to care about misspelling; many of their "model" answers from previous tests are full of typos). Although WA is an ALL essay exam (no MBE, MPT, MPRE), I consider that a huge advantage because I have to master only ONE format, not four different formats!

Allow me to add just one bit of practical advice: For bar prep (and throughout life), stay far, far away from negative people who--however well meaning--put you down, like the partner who told you, "With your English, you will NEVER be a lawyer," etc....Instead of discouraging you by predicting your future failure, he should have made helpful suggestions of steps you can take to succeed, like enrolling in a class to improve your English skills. And pat yourself on the back for having the guts to move to a foreign country and tackle the bar in a foreign language. (I seriously doubt that the partner would have passed YOUR country's bar exam on the first couple of attempts!)

Just remember, the only person who can decide you can't do something is YOU. Don't give others that kind of power/permission to determine your career/course in life. Some of history's biggest successes failed many, many, many times on their journey. Abraham Lincoln is one; he lost countless elections before becoming president. Hillary Clinton failed the bar. So did Kathleen Sullivan, a graduate of Harvard Law School, Oxford Scholar, and Dean of Stanford Law School. The only difference between success and failure is refusal to quit and the ability to learn from failure.

As I prepare to retake the bar in July, I pause occasionally to look at the following Michael Jordon quote for inspiration:

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."

Best of luck,

Kate

Pash1102

Well the IL bar exam is this coming Tuesday and Wednesday. I took the exam in February of this year and failed by 3 points. I couldn't believe it because I worked so hard. I was probably one of the few people out there that walked out feeling like I passed. I knew if I didn't pass it would be the MBE that got me. Well, it was the MBE, so I've focused the bulk of my studying on that portion this time around. I feel like I know the black letter law pretty well for my essays . . . but I'm still nervous. I don't ever want to have to do this again, and I think I'm becoming my own worst enemy. I had a friend who failed the NY bar by 16 points and she passed her second time, so I feel confident that I too can pass. I've studied really hard, AGAIN. I'm prepared this time, but I thought this last time too. I had tutors my first time that told me they weren't worried about me at all, b/c out of anyone I would pass. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, it wasn't the case by 3 points. Hopefully, this time around I'll knock it out once and for all. Good luck to all you other July 2009 bar takers!