Clerking--Take February Bar Rather Than July Bar?

[swan]

jacy:

my barbri classes are at a law school near where i live, not at my law school, so i dont see my former classmates much.

i have talked to a few of them though. some people say they are studying 12 hours a day. a few say they arent studying at all. i dont know who to believe...

[NoUsername]

When does Barbri end?

i have had like no time to study. ive been going to all the classes, but ive literally been studying maybe an average of 2-3 hours a day outside of class.

tomorrow is our practice essay testing day, and im not going to have anything to write for some subjects (e.g. wills, since i never took it in law school, for some stupid reason).

Are you not talking to anyone in the classes?  Because seriously, I've been studying an average of 3 hours outside of class (occasionally more, but usually 3).  I have yet to write an essay, and don't think I could really write anything coherent on most subjects right now.   I've been steadily doing questions from the MPQ1 book, and have been doing pretty well, but that's about it for "practice."  I'll be focusing more on learning/memorizing and practicing essays in July, after Bar/Bri's covered most of the essay topics for my class.

And I'm not the only one keeping this type of schedule.  I'm sure if you asked around, you'd find people in your class doing about the same as you.  Yes, I know people who are doing more, but there's always people going all out and working 12 hours a day.

Edit: sorry for the double post; I thought I lost the first one, and had to retype something to the same effect.

[jacy85]

It depends - different classes and different locations are all different.  The morning/live lecture in Atlanta ends the the Monday after the 4th of July, and this seems to be a very early end.  The evening and afternoon lectures in Atlanta all started later by a week or so, so I think they end later.  And based on comments from people in other cities, it seems like some end as close as the week before the bar exam.

[Luziana]

It depends - different classes and different locations are all different.  The morning/live lecture in Atlanta ends the the Monday after the 4th of July, and this seems to be a very early end.  The evening and afternoon lectures in Atlanta all started later by a week or so, so I think they end later.  And based on comments from people in other cities, it seems like some end as close as the week before the bar exam.

Wow, a week before the bar exam??  I'm done with class on Monday (June 30).  I can't imagine another three weeks of class...  I need that time after class ends to do some serious essay work.

[NoUsername]

I'm hoping to be done with the substance by the fourth.

[289kr]

This is a terrible and illogical idea.  You write:

I've spent a lot of time in the last month trying to find housing in the state where the clerkship is and preparing for the next clerkship application season.

Is that consuming 40-50 hours a week?  Because that's what a full-time clerkship is.  I assume you're spending about 10-12 hours a week, tops, more likel 5-6 hours a week, doing Web browsing.

This summer is the largest period of free time you'll have to study for the bar.  What you do in two months is significant.  Stretching out your bar prep time to eight months, thinking that you'll be able to bear down when you're in the midst of Christmas and the winter court term, is simply incomprehensible.

Additionally, there are numerous shame factors at play.  Your co-clerks will have passed the bar.  The judge will expect you to have passed a bar, even if you aren't required to; and when he asks, "Why DIDN'T you take a bar," what's your answer?  I was too busy looking for housing this summer and just didn't feel ready?

No, if you doubt that you can pass the bar in July, you probably shouldn't be clerking in the first place.  And it would be very ill-advised to postpone it.

[jacy85]

It depends - different classes and different locations are all different.  The morning/live lecture in Atlanta ends the the Monday after the 4th of July, and this seems to be a very early end.  The evening and afternoon lectures in Atlanta all started later by a week or so, so I think they end later.  And based on comments from people in other cities, it seems like some end as close as the week before the bar exam.

Wow, a week before the bar exam??  I'm done with class on Monday (June 30).  I can't imagine another three weeks of class...  I need that time after class ends to do some serious essay work.

I agree.  Some people here have expressed serious surprise at how "early" some of us finish up.

[NoUsername]

Another day of studying all day.

Only 30 more days to go.

[Dustin123445]

Hey,
Your chances of passing don't really depend on when you take the bar.  It's all about your preparation and mindset.  That being said, I think there are 9 differences between the two:

1) Time to prepare
Feb - Less time to prep, by about 2 weeks than July

2) People studying with you
July - More people take and you might have more of your friends

3) Summer vs. Winter studying
Spend a summer or winter indoor preparing?

4) Time off before bar prep starts
Feb - Short Holiday break
July - no or shorter break

5) Bar results
Feb - Find out day before you graduate in some states
July - Thanksgiving week

6) Pass Rate
Feb - may be lower, but only because more retakers
July - higher pass

7) Bar Dues
Feb - If you pass earlier, you have to pay full year of bar dues
July - Only have to pay half bar dues

Tuition
Save money if you graduate early rather than taking extra semester
9) Time of bar prep classes
Feb – evening
July - day

If you want a more in-depth look, I wrote a full analysis of the two in my post:
http://ipassedmybarexam.com/2010/12/13/should-i-take-the-february-or-july-bar/

Either way, Good luck!!!
Dustin

[Thane Messinger]

life will be a lot less hectic if i have a federal clerkship lined up for the next year. my job search will end, and i know my career will be set in place so i wont have to waste time with career bunnies 24 hours a day.

at judge's chambers that i interned for in the spring right now mail-merging 120 letters of recommendation, printing them, and having judge sign them. im so exhausted...

Swan -

Wow.  That's a patient boss.  = :   )

I hope this isn't taken in the wrong way, and, yes, I know that times they are a' changin', but for your future career, it's better to assume a much more formal approach to anything relating to the law.  In this case, it means more work earlier and harder (e.g., the earliest bar exam they'll give you) and also hitting the Shift key when typing the character for "I," as in that pesky first-person singular.

I imagine this might raise hackles in some quarters.  Here's the perspective of a senior practitioner:  if they ever see an "i" where they should see an "I," whether in an "informal" forwarded email (i.e., there is no such thing as "informal" in the law) or (God forbid) anything that gets near a client, they are . . . unlikely to say anything.  But your odds of succeeding in that firm are almsot certainly reduced by, oh, one-third for each character.