I PASSED THE TEXAS BAR EXAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

OMG!! OMG!! I'm shaking! It took me three times, but I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is no happier person alive!!!!

[MrCoffee]

1. OUTSTANDING, COUNSELOR!

Did you just love and adore the crim pro questions?

I about shit a brick on those when i took it last year.

:toast: Job Well Done! Serve the profession well.

[bigwillq]

2. WOO HOO!

What freaking awesome news! I am so happy for you!

:bounce: :toast: :hi: :hug:


:yourock:

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Congratulations!!!!!!!

I was going to post a smarmy joke, but decided against it.

Well done!!


I love when a person has no shame in admitting "There is no happier person alive!"

That's cool!

:yourock:

[Haole Girl]

4. That's great!!!

[GOPisEvil]

5. Congratulations, counselor.

:toast:

[trof]

6. GREAT! Where ya gonna bartend?

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea MAXIMA culpa.
Good ON ya'!

[SeattleGirl]

7. Congratulations!!!!

Guess the third time WAS the charm for you! :applause: :applause: :applause:

[deadparrot]

8. Yay!

:woohoo:

[MissMillie]

9. GREAT JOB!!!

Congratulations!

[Gormy Cuss]

10. Congrats.

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[QMPMom]

11. Congratulations! n/t

[MrScorpio]

12. Congratulations...Attorney!

Good Going

[Kali]

13. Good job!

congrats :party: :toast: :woohoo: :applause: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[xmas74]

14. Congrats!

You finally did it!

[Fredda Weinberg]

15. Bravo!

[Catshrink]

16. WTG!!!!

Congratulations! I remember how ecstatic my BIL and sister were when he passed. What a great day for you!!!

:woohoo:

[philosophie_en_rose]

17. Yay!!!!!

Congratulations, DeposeTheBoyKing.


or make that DeposeTheBoyKing, esq. :)

[Pale Blue Dot]

18. Cool! What kind of law are you going to practice?

[Nicole]

19. Congrats!

:toast:

[NJ Democrats]

20. Nice!

What kond of law do you plan on practicing?

[Floogeldy]

21. Hey you!

You are awesome..

[Heidi]

37. Right on!

I'm so proud of you, gf! :hug: :*

:yourock:

[Generic Brad]

22. Three thumbs up!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[graywarrior]

23. That totally rocks, man.

Congratulations!

[eyesroll]

24. Congrats!

:toast:

[Floogeldy]

25. I guess DeposeTheBoyKing is out buying crack and male prostitutes.

Well, I guess everyone has to celebrate in their own way, somehow. ;)

[Dem_4_Life]

26. Congratulations that is fantastic!!! nt

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

27. Thanks, everyone!

I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have this albatross off my neck. I thought I'd NEVER pass this thing. I'm working full-time at a temporary paralegal job and wasn't planning to take the February bar, because if I couldn't pass it after studying 13 hours a day, how would I pass it studying maybe 4-5 hours a day?

I bawled and screamed all evening - babies got nuttin' on me! Mr. DTBK was giving a presentation in Fort Worth and didn't get home until 9:30, so we weren't able to go out. Well, we did try to get ice cream, but Cold Stone closed at 9:30. We ended up getting Starbucks instead. We're having a bunch of people over tomorrow, so our celebration will take place Saturday night. No, Floogeldy, I was NOT out buying male prostitutes and crack! (not that there's anything wrong with that...is there?)

Edited to address type of law desired: I'll be at this paralegal job for probably 6 months (that's what I orally committed to). After that, i'd love to do legal aid, family law or immigration law. Definitely NOT complex litigation or helping corporations!!!

Actually, for my first case I shall be suing my husband for refusing to give me the remote. I think I can make a case for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Thanks again for your good wishes. It means so much.

:yourock: :hug:

[Lethe]

28. please tell me you're not gonna be a prosecutor??

they are all so anal and bitchy.

you need to become a good DWI defense lawyer, thats where the $$$ is at buddy

[Bullwinkle925]

29. YAHOOTIE!!

I knew you would do it BSE!!!

:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

[UrbScotty]

30. YEARGH!!

;-)

[Shine]

31. Well done!!

:yourock: Congratulations! :toast:

[XemaSab]

32. Suweet!

:bounce:

[ThomCat]

33. Many, Many Congratulations!

:applause: :applause: :applause:

I hope you get to do a lot of good out there as a practicing attorney.

[huskerlaw]

34. Congratulations!!!!!

WTG DTBK!!!

:toast:

:woohoo:

[fortyfeetunder]

35. 3rd time is the charm!

I admire your persistence and not giving up. That is a testament to your tenacity. May you have a successful career.

:toast:
Congratulations!!!!

[puerco-bellies]

36. Well done Counselor

:applause:

[BluePatriot]

38. Yay!!! Congrats!!!

[buddhamama]

39. Congrats!

:applause: You should be very proud of yourself. We're proud of you. :applause: :toast:

[Midlodemocrat]

40. That's DeposeTheBoyKing, esq. to you!! Way to Go!!! w00t!

[Orsino]

41. A present for you!

There is, alas, much work for you to do. Good luck!

[Left Is Write]

42. Congratulations!

:bounce:

[KitchenWitch]

43. WAY TO GO!!!

I know you worked hard to get there!

:party::toast::bounce::woohoo:

[redqueen]

44. Congrats!

:toast:

[Parche]

45. awesome

Congratulations

Now you will have to pass out at the real 'Bar' exam after massive amounts of beverages!@!!

[AngryAmish]

46. Sample Texas Bar Exam Question

Billy owns Blackacre. Grant owns Greenacre which abuts Blackacre. Grant builds a fence which encroaches Blackacre by ten feet, claiming a mandatory easement to reach the road. In resolving his claim against Grant, Billy may

1) Shoot Grant;
2) Shoot Grant and any joint tenants;
3) If Greenacre is owned by Grant and his wife in a tenancy in the entireties, Billy may not shoot Grant's wife but may shoot Grant;
4) Kill 'em all and let God sort them out.

[BarenakedLady]

47. Congratulations!!!

:woohoo:

:bounce:

:yourock:

[El Fuego]

48. Congrats!

:bounce:
:toast:

[underpants]

49. The Texas bar exam? What is that, target practice?

:bounce:

Just kidding. Congrats well done.

[KamaAina]

50. Just what the Lone Star State needs...

another goldang lib'rul commie pinko ACLU-lovin' lawyer! :sarcasm:

[wildhorses]

51. congratulations!!

:party::hug::toast::bounce::toast::hug::party:

[yellowdogintexas]

52. I am so glad I went back this far into the Lounge..I would have

missed it.

Hooray for you!!!!!!!! You have a life again!!!


Now we need a Metroplex DU get together to celebrate!!



Congratulations to you, I knew you could do it.

[Paladin]

53. Bloody Good! Care To Share The Secrets Of Your Success?

My younger daughter has three friends who just got their Texas Bar results. One of them (University of Houston) passed; the other two (South Texas) didn't. How about telling us what steps you took to put yourself across the finish line successfully?

Congrats, counselor. Well done.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

65. I shall be happy to share!

I believe a little background may be instructive:

Attempt #1 (July 2005): I had just moved to Texas from Pennsylvania, where I went to law school, and was enjoying being in my beautiful new home which my husband had selected in my absence (we were apart for 9 months while I finished school and he moved here to start his new job). I took the BARBRI review course (the most popular) and studied at home for probably 5-6 hours in the evening. I also had the PMBR books (multistate questions, of which there are 200, and they are incredibly tricky and confusing, for the most part). I allowed myself to get distracted by pretty shiny things (hey - isn't that a piece of lint 50 feet away? I must abandon my studies and pick it up!), and my studying was exceedingly superficial. I failed by a HUGE margin, which was not surprising at all. I found out that I had failed on Eid (the Muslim holiday at the end of Ramadan), and my day was ruined, but it really wasn't surprising. I cried a bit and retired for a long nap, and a few days later I filled out the reapplication and started studying again for February.

Attempt #2 (February 2006): I decided to use MicroMash, another (computerized) bar review program. To achieve their pass guarantee refund, I had to complete all 2300+ multistate (MBE) multiple choice questions correctly at least once. I also used their state review, meaning I had to do 6 practice essays and submit them to an assigned mentor for criticism. Frankly, the MicroMash state review isn't that helpful, although I did increase my MBE score by 14 points. I spent so much time on the computer questions to get the guarantee that I ended up having only 2 weeks to really study for the essays, which was a huge detriment. I also allowed myself to get distracted by my beloved Winter Olympics; although I consider myself a world class multitasker, that's asking a bit too much in this dire situation. My score increased by 28 points, but was still WAY off. My law school buddy was visiting from PA, having just passed the PA bar on the second try at 66 years of age, and she was of great comfort to me when I learned I had failed again. She and my husband took me out to eat and reassured me that I do indeed have an IQ greater than that of George W. Bush, something I found it very difficult to believe at the time. I went to Kinkos and had an enraged, scowling picture taken for the reapplication; I'm sure my licensure analyst must have been laughing at the sour expression on my face!

Attempt #3 (July 2006). Realizing I had to change some things in order to pass this behemoth, I did so. Rather than studying at home, I got up early and rode into Dallas with my husband, who dropped me off at the Southwestern library and then went to his office on the North Campus. I left my computer at home; I confess to playing Monopoly on my cell phone quite a bit, but the main thing was that I was stuck at the library with my books and had no choice but to study until he was ready to go home at about 5 or 5:30. I devised a meticulous study schedule and tried to stick to it as closely as possible. I spent the month of May on the MBE subjects, reading through the Conviser and long outlines (if they did BARBRI, they'll know what those are) and doing at least 35-40 questions per day. I'd also look through the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) examples and go over the Texas Procedure and Evidence rules occasionally (each of those is worth "only" 10% on the bar). In June I cycled through the Texas essay subjects, spending 3 days at a time on each and thoroughly immersing myself in the "black letter law" and trying to memorize as many rules as I could. I didn't really write out answers to any old essay questions, but I did outline quite a few to see if I identified the issues and recalled the applicable law. It really helped to critically read a bunch of recent exam questions, as they tend to repeat in some areas, and you can really learn the rules that way. I continued doing MBE questions at night (probably still 35-40 or 50). In July I spent another week on the MBE subjects, then essays, still doing MBE questions at night, and spent a few more days on the MPT and Procedure & Evidence questions. For those P&E questions, it's impossible to know EVERYTHING, but I answered a number of old exam questions and really focused on remembering as many rules as I could. I also bought an "overcoming text anxiety" hypnosis CD and listened to it while going to sleep at night, as well as a 6-CD subliminal series with such CDs as "Overcoming Test Anxiety," "Improve Test Scores" and "Master Your Memory," which I listened to on my iPod while studying. I don't know how much those helped, but they certainly didn't hurt! Finally, although I only live 17 miles from the Arlington Convention Center (the testing site), I booked a room nearby so I wouldn't have to deal with traffic and so that I'd study in the evenings (although experts don't recommend that, I wanted to keep focusing on the task). I remember during the exam period being very anxious after the second day (the beastly multistate) and seriously not considering going back on Thursday for the essays, but when I awoke on Thursday morning I felt strangely at peace and knew I had to return, knowing that I would accept whatever happened.

I ended up increasing my score by 61 points this time! I got my letter yesterday and learned that Texas doesn't give passers their scores (except the final scaled score and MBE score, which really wasn't spectacular at ALL; I must have done surprisingly well on the essays). My MBE score only increased by 9 over February! I passed by 10 points.

Examinees should always try finish all the questions. Time management is key. Although I finished all of the questions on each exam, on my first attempt I allowed myself to get 15 minutes behind on the 90-minute MPT question and have to scramble to catch up, and I spent too much time on the Secured Transactions question and had 10 minutes less than usual for the next question. Your daughter's friends should, if they're not doing this now, write on their exam booklets what time they started the question and what time to finish it and move on to the next question. For the MPT, they should budget 5 minutes to read and outline the task memo, 35 minutes to read and outline the file and library, 5 more minutes to re-read the task memo, then the remaining time to write their answers. It really helped me to stick to my schedule. Not finishing the questions was never a problem for me, but when you get behind on a question you have less time to answer the next, and they're all worth the same.

Another thing which helped was my mental attitude. The first time I went into the exam with the attitude that I was going to fail. The second time I was hopeful, but tentative. The third time I went in saying, "I'm going to pass this beast; nothing's going to stop me." It's one thing to think after the exam that you probably failed; it's completely another thing to go into the exam thinking you're bound to fail. DON'T DO THAT!!

Sorry this has been so long - how I love to tell the story! If it helps someone else, that's terrific!

Congratulations to her friend who passed, and she should tell the other two to keep trying and never give up! If they focus and devote enough time to each subject and try to quell any test anxiety they may have, they should be successful.

[Paladin]

66. Many, Many Thanks

I'll see that your suggestions get to peoplw who really need them.

[WolverineDG]

71. So how many times did you hit "refresh"

to make sure your name was still there? ;)

I remember going through this little dance myself. My tip for taking the bar is never ever ever pass up including an issue in the written part of the essay, even if you don't know the answer. You do get points for issue-spotting & ever little point helps! :)

Congrats! Now, just wait until the Bar sends you the notice telling you how much money you owe them to get licensed! :rofl:

BTW, if you can, go to the swearing-in ceremony in Austin. Yes, they're all Republicans now, but the ceremony is great.

Also, they only rank the top 3 scores, so officially, you came in "4th." ;)

dg

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

72. I got the letter yesterday

"Make the THIRD check payable to..." They're after my blood already!

We are planning to go to the swearing-in. I had scheduled a dental appointment and two medical appointments for that day without knowing that was swearing-in day, but those can be rescheduled. I wish my sister, Bullwinkle925, could go. SIGH.

BTW, I've hit "refresh" at least 20 times after results came out to make sure my name is still there! I also printed out the pass list so I can frame the page with my name on it!! What an idiot.

[WolverineDG]

73. No, not an idiot

I kept looking at my letter several times over the next few days just to make sure it wasn't written in disappearing ink or was some kind of magic trick!

dg

[Paladin]

76. What Does The Texas Bar's Written Notification Look Like?

My older daughter passed the NY exam last year, and called us up hollering and crying when her name showed up on her computer. By way of written confirmation, she got this cheap, flimsy little printout, looked like a parking violation notice. Pretty underwhelming, considering how important it was. I know that's a form-over-substance kind of thing, and I know 8000 other people took the test the same time she did, but still.....

[WolverineDG]

79. A nice, big fat envelope

With many things inside, including instructions for how much you now owe the State Bar & the State of Texas, & how many checks you need to have in order to get your bar card.

Oh, and our bar card looks like a gold credit card. NY's bar card, I understand, is a slip of paper.

dg

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

80. Ooh, that's nice to know!

I was hoping it wasn't a flimsy Social Security or voter registration type card. WOOHOO!!

[Pithlet]

54. Congratulations!

That's wonderful news! :bounce:

[Hand]

55. OUTSTANDING!

Now go thou and put Republicans in jail! :toast: :party:

[Ilsa]

56. Excellent! Congratulations! Your hard work is paying off! nt

[u4ic]

57. Right on, DTBK!!!

Way to go!!! :bounce: :toast: :bounce:

[benny05]

58. Kewlness

:applause: :woohoo:

[ScreamingMeemie]

59. Yaaaaaaaaaay!!!

I'm so happy for you!!! :hug: :loveya: :hug:

[bermudat]

60. Congrats! Third times a charm

[Robb]

61. YAY!!!

That's great! Always good to have a shark in the DU pool... now we just need a few shotguns and a bag man! :D

Congrats! :toast:

[Radio_Lady]

62. That will now be Attorney DeposeTheBoyKing, Esq.

Congratulations and happy hunting in the world of Texas lawyers!

[Radio_Lady]

63. Your trials await you, Barrister!

[helderheid]

64. WOOOOT!!! We may all need you someday!!!

[ariellyn]

67. Yayyyyy...good for you!!!!!!!! nt

[hippywife]

68. Congratulations! n/t

[crispini]

69. Grats!

Good job! :thumbsup:

[mulsh]

70. congrats, remember these 2 words

billable hours. oh and I have this legal question maybe you can answer...
I live in califonia and...
seriously, good luck and congtadulations.

[Maestro]

74. Congrats! -nt

[Pacifist Patriot]

75. AWESOME!!!!!

Don't know you from Adam but that brought a grin to my face. Congratulations!

[I Have A Dream]

77. Congratulations, DTBK! I'm very happy for you!

:woohoo:

[Redstone]

78. Well, congratulations, then.

Redstone