California Bar Exam (February 2014) thread Forum

[bzmaru24]

Type. I've written about using Mavis Beacon to practice typing before the Bar. It helps. On day 1 my computer didn't work so I had to handwrite in the morning. I survived but typing for 2 six hour days is OK. Handwriting for two 6 hour days is torture.
You can use a wireless mouse.
Copy and paste is a huge advantage.

Do they put the actual essay and pt questions in electronic form on your laptop so that you can copy and paste the information from them? Also, I am using typingweb.com and goodtyping.com to improve my typing. They are free, but I am wondering if Mavis Beacon might be better?

No, they do not. Every essay question is in a booklet they give you and you have to type it out yourself. I agree that typing is better as Copy and Paste is an immensely valuable tool. If you don't like how you initially structured your essay, move parts around. If you find that you forgot to put in some extra analysis in your second of 5 issues, you can just type it in. If you're writing and something like that happens, you have to draw arrows/scratch out lines of text/write in the margins/etc., and it just looks messy. I know from experience.

I wrote the first time I took the Bar and got a score of 1220 in CA (that's about the 10th percentile). I typed the second time and passed. Absolutely HUGE advantage.

[MURPH]

There is nothing special about Mavis Beacon. If you have a free site that is probably fine. Just do it 20 minutes per night. There was one thing I liked about Mavis Beacon. you pick what you want to type for practice and the Constitution and Bill of Rights is one of your choices. It won't help you much on the bar but who the fuck knows what they will pull out from that for the Con Law question.

Also, when typing, use copy and paste not cut and paste. Especially for large amounts of text. Then go back and cut. Too many people have been screwed by examsoft when their work cuts and disappears.

[a male human]

Ctrl + Z should be in one of the four basic keyboard shortcuts everyone needs to know, aside from + C, X, V. It will work on most anything you can type into.

Incidentally, + Y will redo your undo.

[Carryon]

can you upload your answers right on the exam site after your are done on the third day? I plan on taking it in ontairo. How long does it take to do so?

[a male human]

My exam site didn't have WiFi, but I just did it in the hotel. You can upload your first set of answers after day 1 even. Otherwise I think you have until Friday (same week or week after). Just do it each day as soon as you get connection.

[Carryon]

can you upload your answers right on the exam site after your are done on the third day? I plan on taking it in ontairo. How long does it take to do so?

another question too. Can you switch to writing for whatever reason (computer malfunction etc.) if you initially signed up to take the exam with a laptop ?

[a male human]

Yes, ask a proctor.

Fun factoid: Proctor is derived from the same root as proctologist.

[a male human]

By the way, I haven't sworn in yet, but when can I start calling myself an attorney? Am I already one for passing the bar or just an "esquire"? Who am I?

[Carryon]

By the way, I haven't sworn in yet, but when can I start calling myself an attorney? Am I already one for passing the bar or just an "esquire"? Who am I?

I think you still need to be sworn in to become an attorney.

[a male human]

By the way, I haven't sworn in yet, but when can I start calling myself an attorney? Am I already one for passing the bar or just an "esquire"? Who am I?

I think you still need to be sworn in to become an attorney.

That's what I thought. People on LinkedIn are already changing their headline to attorney, so I wanted to join in except it didn't feel right.

Anyone else going to Oakland for mass indoctrination on 6/5? I need someone to take pics for me.

[hyc9598]

Hi.

What would be the average typing speed? What is the ideal speed?

[El Pollito]

Hi.

What would be the average typing speed? What is the ideal speed?

As fast as humanly possible?

[hyc9598]

How many words do you write for essay and pt (laptop)? 800 words and 1,600 words?

[a male human]

I think I typed around 10k characters per essay and maybe 15k-20k for PTs.

[fl0w]

By the way, I haven't sworn in yet, but when can I start calling myself an attorney? Am I already one for passing the bar or just an "esquire"? Who am I?

I think you still need to be sworn in to become an attorney.

That's what I thought. People on LinkedIn are already changing their headline to attorney, so I wanted to join in except it didn't feel right.

Anyone else going to Oakland for mass indoctrination on 6/5? I need someone to take pics for me.

i'll be there. But obviously i'll just checking out the eye candy.
Everyone at my firm is saying congrats you're a lawyer now. Getting sworn in is so easy I don't think you should feel guilty about calling yourself an attorney lol

[bzmaru24]

See Rule 5.5(b):

http://www.americanbar.org/groups/profe ... f_law.html

Also, Rule 1-100 B2 and B3:

http://rules.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/10/d ... onduct.pdf

Until you are sworn in, you are not an attorney. You can only call yourself a JD. Should you present yourself to anyone, give legal advice, or appear before a court and say you're an "attorney," you would have committed an unauthorized practice of law and can be reprimanded by the Bar, because you are not one yet.

I'm currently a paralegal and go to court sometimes with my supervising attorney. I've seen it happen more than once where a Bar Exam passer waiting to be sworn in tried to appear before court, and the judge told them to sit down and shut up until they were sworn in because they were not attorneys.

Don't fret, unless you've already been sworn in privately, it's this week! We've made it this far, just a few more days to go =)

[DwightSchruteFarms]

Few questions:

Anyone doing Pasadena?

How long is the State ceremony?

How long is the Federal ceremony?

Thanks!

[MURPH]

Two friends and I got sworn in this morning before a judge in San Fernando. It was fun. I am going to the post office to mail my card in now.

Just before going into the courtroom someone stopped me in the hall and started telling me about their problem (not showing up for community service hours). He asked for advice. I was tempted to either offer to represent him or just give him some advice. But I didn't. I think I remember from PR class that hanging around the courtroom looking for work is a violation of some duty or other.

[hyc9598]

Will taking mock mbe 100q exam on this Sunday be helpful?

[Carryon]

I am thinking of purchasing a subscription to baressays. They also have brief outlines and check list of the exam topics. I was wondering if these outlines are good or should I also buy lean sheets (they rave about their outlines) in addition to the outlines in the bareessays subscription. Any thoughts?

[El Pollito]

I am thinking of purchasing a subscription to baressays. They also have brief outlines and check list of the exam topics. I was wondering if these outlines are good or should I also buy lean sheets (they rave about their outlines) in addition to the outlines in the bareessays subscription. Any thoughts?

The baressays outlines kinda suck, IMO.

[uvauvauva]

What are people thinking about leansheets? For those that have used them for cali... are they good?

[MURPH]

I don't think the outlines were great but it is all about how you use them IMO. I printed the outlines out once. Then when I reviewed my practice essay I did it with a multicolored pen and the outline at my side. I would write the rules on the outline, or a repeated common set of facts, or acronym or whatever trigger I needed.
I did not memorize the outlines. Instead I just used it as a place to store my reminders / triggers. The real learning is in doing the essays and critically evaluating your own essays.
If you are going to memorize use this strategy: http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_foer_fe ... one_can_do

[toastpbj]

What are people thinking about leansheets? For those that have used them for cali... are they good?

I used them in conjunction with outlines from other sources and found them to be pretty detailed (for skinny outlines). But for me personally, they were difficult to memorize off of for some reason. I preferred the short outlines provided in the Mary Basick essay writing book and the Stanford outlines (free on Stanford's website). Everyone is different though.

[a male human]

Was I supposed to pick anything up after the NDCal swear-in? I just noticed the part that says, "If you wish to be admitted to that Court at that time, you must take the District Court oath during the ceremony and pick up your validation card and instructions at the conclusion of the ceremony."