PASS

I passed the bar 😉

Can’t wait to see the full list, hear about everybody else, see the statistics, get sworn in, get a real job, etc.

I passed the bar!

The fog of the night before

Sitting on my awesome deck overlooking a verdant little mini-canyon tonight, I am surprised at how extraordinarily foggy it is!  Crickets chirp in every direction, but you can’t see to the other side… kind of like waiting for those results.  And, although it’s gone by pretty fast overall, without any freaking out on my part, I feel certain that Friday will be a long day with a lot of clock-watching.

Today could have gone better, given the absolutely horrible Oregon football upset, but I’m confident that, come tomorrow evening, people will stop and listen when I tell them:

YOU DO NOT NEED BAR/BRI TO PASS THIS EXAM!

Long-live Adaptibar and self-study!

July 2007 California Bar Exam Pass Rate

Check it out!  Despite the fact that individual exam results won’t be available until tomorrow, the State Bar of California has released overall pass rate statistics for the July 2007 exam!

The good news for all you worrywarts is that July 2007 exam-takers passed at a rate of 56.1%, almost 5% higher than the students who sat for July 2006, and almost 20% higher than the students who sat for February 2007 (though it should be noted that in the past 45 years, the overwhelming trend has been for July takers to pass at a significantly higher rate than February takers, and one must go back to 1961 to see an example of when this didn’t happen).

In fact, the 56.1% pass rate is the highest of any California bar exam in the last 6 years.  And compared to the last 103 times the California bar exam has been administered (as far back as the State Bar has statistics), the 56.1% pass rate is the 23rd highest in the exam’s history.

Beat the Freak-Out

I’m sure right now there are thousands of JDs anxiously awaiting 6pm on Friday.  Many, if not most, of them are, sadly, probably petrified.  I know this may be difficult advice to take, but I think we all should be optimistic, even excited as Friday approaches.

As for me, personally, I just went on the California Bar website to look up details on a particular attorney, and I suddenly and uncontrollably was overcome with a physically-felt thrill over the fact that, in just a few short days, I’ll be able to find my own name through the Bar’s attorney search function!

google bar exam search results

So, many blogs allow authors to see how people have found their blogs. Sometimes it’s bizarre, but often it’s just sad…

Just yesterday, someone found this blog by Googling for “Screen I would see if I fail the California Bar Exam.” What happened to optimism? And for the record, I doubt the screen would be very conspicuous – I have a feeling that the Bar doesn’t set up a page that flashes red and loops an mp3 that says “Hey everybody, I failed the bar exam!”

This sort of pensive speculation reminds me of spring ’04, when people were always wondering what the envelope would look like as law schools sent out their admissions decisions. And now that’s ancient history, for those of us awaiting Friday, at least.

The best part about this blog, however, is that it comes up #2 when you Google “Sometimes you eat the bar.”  Being a huge Big Lebowski fan, that really makes my day!

Swearing in?

Seven days and three hours to go!

Does anybody know anything about when/where the big swearing-in ceremonies will be held? And what about simultaneous (or at least same-day) admission to the federal bar in a particular district?

Bar results etiquette

So, California Bar Exam results come out in 14 days, 5.5 hours…

At that time, there are going to be a lot of relieved people and just as many miserable people.   And along with finding out your own result, you probably have friends who will be receiving their own results.  So, what is the proper etiquette for communicating with those friends during that decisive weekend?

Keep in mind that the complete list will be released on Sunday, so if you’d be entirely satisfied simply by the knowledge of whether a person passed or failed, it may be best to just wait and look at the Sunday list.

For those of  you that, due to whatever reason, can not wait, this blog recommends the following:

• If you feel like it, please post a status message on facebook, myspace, gchat or AIM – this way, people can know how to approach you – if you’ve passed, and people know it,  you’re more likely to get excited calls from fellow passers.

• If you’re curious about someone else, check their facebook/myspace/gchat/AIM to see if they’ve done the above.  This will help you decide whether to make the excited phone call, send flowers of sympathy, or make plans to get together and commiserate.

• If your friend hasn’t given any online indication of success or failure, you may not want to call them – perhaps a text message or e-mail would be more discreet, allowing your friend to decide whether they feel like talking.

Good luck!

All Over

And so, rather quickly, it’s all over.

They say there are three parts to the bar exam – preparing, taking, and waiting for your results…

And they also say that taking it is the easiest, and preparing for it is the second-hardest.

I suppose that means we’ve only just now come to the hardest part of the bar. Hopefully I’ll be able to put it out of my mind as much as possible, and then get good news on November 16, which is 112 days away.

If/when an occasion arises where I begin to doubt myself, I should look back at this, and remember:

• My Adaptibar average was 79% for the month of July
• I scored in the 96th %ile for BarBri’s simulated MBE
• I scored in the 85th %ile for PMBR’s simulated MBE
• I felt like I did fine on the actual MBE
• I didn’t get every last issue and element on each essay, but overall I didn’t get any questions that stumped me, and I feel confident about my essay answers
• And I’ve always felt confident about the performance tests, which were no more difficult than I’d imagined!

Jews Observing Tisha B’av

It’s true that certain Jews who observe Tisha B’av were able to petition the state to allow them to take the bar on Wed/Thurs/Fri rather than starting on Tuesday.

However, the idea that those Jews get to answer the SAME questions that we did today is ludicrous…

So, either the people that think this are really stupid…

Or the State Bar is incredibly stupid…

California Bar Exam – Day One Essays & NOW WITH PT OUTLINE! (bottom)

So, here’s what I remember about today’s Essays 1-3

Feel free to post-game in the comments section.

(NOTE: Obviously this is just what I can remember – it’s by no means meant to be exhaustive!)

Question 1: Larry Landlord vs. Tanya Tenant

Written lease for 4-room office suite – no duration specified. Assume 1 year? Landlord promises to supply “essential services.” For 5 1/2 months, numerous occasions where water, heat, electricity, elevator shut off. One entire week in December – no water, no heat, no electricity.

Tanya says “As of Feb 28 I’m out of here.”

Landlord does nothing to find new tenant until April 15, finally has another move in on May 1.

Issue 1 – on what theory might Larry recover for March and April’s rent?

Tanya’s breach of duty to pay rent

Issue 2 – Tanya’s defenses

Landlord’s breach of “essential services” provision

Landlord’s failure to mitigate

Landlord’s frustration of Tanya’s purpose

 

Question 2: Cold Drink Blender

Named “cold drink blender,” brochure contains statement “perfect for making all your cold drinks” and “do not fill more than 2 inches below top.” Consumer buys one, fills it to top with hot soup, and blends – gets burned by splashing hot soup. Alleges that part of the cause of injuries was Manufacturer’s failure to include a blender lock. Blender lock not required by federal regulations.

Issue 1 – Manuf. moves to dismiss based on Consumer’s misuse

Issue 2 – Manuf. moves to dismiss based on Consumer’s negligence

Issue 3 – Manuf. moves to dismiss based on compliance with federal safety standards

Issue 4 – Retailer moves to dismiss based on its lack of involvement in design process.

 

Question 3: Mechanic Evidence

Issue 1 – Mechanic’s statement “His brakes are bad – he should get them fixed.”

Issue 2 – Mechanic’s instruction to Helper “Inspected brakes – repair?” and the work order form Helper wrote on.

Issue 3 – Mechanic’s statement to Plaintiff “Your brakes are bad.”

Issue 4 – Plaintiff’s response to Mechanic “I’m not surprised – they felt funny.”

Issue 5 – Bystander’s shout “The sports car ran the red light and hit the truck!”

 

 

PERFORMANCE TEST OUTLINE

I thought this was extremely easy.

#1) Substantially Factually Related (if you even make it its own separate header)

#2) The Final Presumption and its Rebuttability

#3) The Ethical Screen