Good luck to all our bar takers (passers) today!

by stevenucla on Nov 17, 2006 5:43 PM PST

In about 30 minutes, some of you will probably undergo the hell that many of us had to do at some point in our lives: check to see if you passed the California bar exam.

Just to give you a heads-up: the Calbar site doesn't say "Hey Joe Bruin, you passed!" It's more like "This name does appear on the list of applicants who passed the July 2006 California State Bar Examination" or some crazy nonsense like that.

Anyway, keep this in mind:

1. Don't freak out if you don't get into the site at first. It can take up to an hour.

2. Drinking heavily before you check is OK, as long as you have a (relatively) sober person with you to confirm that yes, you actually did pass.

3. When you find out you passed, the calling rules are:

A) First call all non-bar-taker friends and family

B) Second, call all non-friends who thought you would fail to gloat

C) FINALLY, ONLY IF you've exhausted the first two, may you contact other bar takers. I always recommend the text message first, with a simple "Call me if everything is OK", and then wait for the other person to call. And, definitely, ALWAYS ASSUME THE OTHER PERSON FAILED before you say anything in glee, because it really, really, really sucks to hear from someone who passed when you failed.

4. If by some terrible twist of fate, you didn't pass (probably because you went to Southern Cal), don't forget that no one has to know until Sunday morning.

Good luck to all of you!

Ps As a corollary to all of you that knows a bar taker, DO NOT CALL THEM FIRST. You can check yourself on Sunday morning at www.calbar.org. If they did pass and didn't call you, don't be offended. They probably just passed out before they got to a phone.

Update [2006-11-17 21:59:1 by stevenucla]:For the public list that comes out on Sunday morning, 6 AM PST

Poll

Just for S&G

PASS!

7 votes

Not so good.

1 votes

8 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Steven

thanks for posting this. I remember the experience (MA bar for me). And it was not pleasent ... but it led to a sweeet thanksgiving.

Good luck to all of our Bruins.

by Nestor on Nov 17, 2006 5:55 PM PST reply actions

Same here

This time of year always warms my heart of that wonderful, wonderful moment that I first learned that I passed. Haha, of course, like a dumbass, I went ahead and did the same thing all over again in NY, although I was much calmer when I checked that time.

Good luck Bruins!

by stevenucla on Nov 17, 2006 6:13 PM PST reply actions

If You Fail

UCPD will show up and tazer you.

by alcor805 on Nov 17, 2006 6:52 PM PST reply actions

Totally

unless you went to Southern Cal. Then they'll just call Department of Children and Family Services.

by stevenucla on Nov 17, 2006 6:53 PM PST up reply actions

I passed

so anyone can do it (except, probably, for Koach)

by Koach Karl I on Nov 17, 2006 8:13 PM PST reply actions

In the olden days ...

before there were computers and all that, I tried calling the State Bar with the story that I was Governor Brown's (Gov. Moonbeam, not his dad) Chief of Staff and we had a young lawyer who was set to go to trial on Monday but needed to know if he passed. The response was, "Call the Lodi Star." So I called the Lodi Star, and was told "Give me your name and the name of one friend." I told him, and he responded "You both passed," and he hung up.

Somehow the Lodi Star got the results a day (or two or three) before the rest of the world, and would give the results.

I agree, it was nice. But boy, or boy, was that a lot of pressure. I don't envy anyone taking the bar or waiting for results.

Good luck to all, and remember that even if the news is bad that life goes on.

by Fox 71 on Nov 17, 2006 8:19 PM PST reply actions

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it - unlike a lot of you I took the non traditional root to the BAR. After graduating in '86 I went back to school in the evenings in 2002 - with a wife, a four year old and a 5 month old baby while working full time.

Well I graduated this May from Whittier Law School, took the Bar and passed the first time. To the well wishers and supporters here thanks.

Now let's kick ASU's ass - win in Maui - and get a new football coach.

Griffin!

"Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail"

by Griffin1 on Nov 17, 2006 8:27 PM PST reply actions

Way to go Griffin

Congratulations. You should feel proud. It is a big accomplishment. I'm happy for you.

Now the bad news - you have to go to work as a lawyer. It's nice being a semi-retired one. (To put things in a little perspective, my bar number is 61161. Yours will be about 200,000 higher. You can have my lucky parking place at the downtown courthouse.)

by Fox 71 on Nov 17, 2006 8:37 PM PST up reply actions

Congrats Griffen

It looks like I'll be 2 years behind you in this endeavor (but w/o the family)., unless the whole DC ting works out. Really, congrats on making it through. Go Bruins!

by bruinhoo on Nov 18, 2006 1:09 AM PST up reply actions

Nice job Griffin

I remember that feeling. It's pretty sweet.

by Ajax on Nov 18, 2006 8:59 AM PST up reply actions

Forgot about 5)

Have a lot of water and a bottle of advil ready for the morning after.

What a ride. Guess I'll add passing the CA bar to my list of "character builders" and I'm glad I get to burn all of those BarBri books I've been hanging onto.

Although there's something really unsatisfying about the "congratulations, you're now a lawyer" comments I've been getting. After doing this for a couple of years, I'm starting to think that Griffin is right and I might have chosen the wrong profession...

by NBruin on Nov 18, 2006 9:08 AM PST reply actions

Gilberts

I finally tossed my Gilberts on my 20th anniversary of passing.

by Fox 71 on Nov 18, 2006 10:04 AM PST up reply actions

Congrats Everyone!

Congrats.

by Nestor on Nov 18, 2006 9:24 AM PST reply actions

Congratulations and Encouragement

Congrat's to all my new Bruin brothers and sisters at the bar.

Your degree and Bar admission will allow you to travel many paths; if you choose carefully, you're in for an incredible ride.

For those of you who did not pass, stay focused and try again. No one believes that the exam tests the skills necessary to predict success in practice or the willingness and capability of making contributions to society. It is a meaningless test, a hurdle placed in on the track to limit the number of people allowed to run around it. Some of the best lawyers I know took the bar more than once.

sjh

PS. This posting of bar numbers makes me realize how old I really am. Shit. I come here for fun, not humiliation.

#46303

sjh

by Class of 66 on Nov 18, 2006 5:52 PM PST reply actions

46303?

46303? Were you admitted before or after the Civil War? (Just kidding.) I knew I was getting old when the new associates were born after I was admitted. Now THAT is a frightening concept.

by Fox 71 on Nov 18, 2006 9:10 PM PST up reply actions

Congrats to Bar Passers

Congrats bar takers, and celebrate. It's worth it.

FYI, don't be afraid to take a second bar down the road. It's never fun taking a test, but the 2nd bar is 100 times easier.

by rfirpo on Nov 18, 2006 6:22 PM PST reply actions

dunno about that ...

I cannot imagine going through that h*ll again. Once was enough!

by Nestor on Nov 18, 2006 6:37 PM PST up reply actions

Congrats to all of you

I have stated earlier that I find law incredibly boring. If you can put up with three years of law school, then pass the bar, you are something special.

I know law is necesary, and lawyers are needed, but I could never do it.

Anyway, congrats to my fellow Bruins who passed the bar.

by bruinbabe2000 on Nov 18, 2006 6:34 PM PST reply actions

Classic KD

KD on His Offensive Philosophy

"We didn't want to chance anything offensively" - half time quote.

Can't we do it just once uncle karl??!!

by rfirpo on Nov 18, 2006 8:44 PM PST reply actions

Test taking

I didn't do the Law School route, but about 4 years ago I sat for the test to get my CISSP (Certified Information System Security Professional). 6 hours of hell. They don't list the people who pass online, they send an email a few weeks after the test. My spam filter decided the email was spam. Let me tell you, trying to get an answer out of any bureaucracy is no fun at all.

Bob O. (Signholder #3)

by TuneMan7 on Nov 20, 2006 6:43 AM PST reply actions