to flashcard or not to flashcard; that is the question

Over at Letters to a Young Attorney, KHC  has been putting out some rather sound advice to all of you out there studying for the bar right now.  And reading KHC’s words of wisdom reminded me that I have a few of my own to share regarding flashcards.

You do not have to make flashcards to pass the bar. You read that correctly. You can pass the bar without making a single flashcard. I did.

If making flashcards is your thing, go for it. I’m not knocking them. But for me, outlining was what got me through three years of law school, and I saw no point in trying something untested to get me through the biggest test of my life.

It’s easy for me to say this now that I’m on the other side of things, but I vividly remember how intimidated I was by all of those giant stacks of flashcards I saw my BarBri classmates toting around.  As I toiled away on my outline, I questioned whether I should be spending more time with the 3 x 5’s.

Bar takers, take heart. There is much, much, much more studying to do, and you have months of waiting before you find out if you’ll be settling in for another round of BarBri, but know this: you can pass the bar without flashcards.

 

missjillesq, for reals

It’s official. I’m a lawyer.

Apparently so too is the guy who sat next to me at the bar exam. As he spent a good chunk of the exam taking power naps, I was somewhat surprised to see him at the swearing-in today.

My first official lawyerly act? Removing that pesky “not a lawyer” signature from my email.

Yeah, that’s how I roll.

 

don’t ask, don’t tell

Over the weekend, the Bun commented that he thought the firm would be abuzz today with gossip about who passed and who failed the bar exam. I told him I thought that was unlikely. Just like in law school, where it’s a serious faux pas to talk about grades, I assumed it would similarly be anathema to discuss who had passed the bar– at least until the pass list is publicly posted.

I was right. Nobody affirmatively brought up the issue, despite the fact that it was all anyone could talk about on Friday. When it did come up, it was in the almost clandestine context of asking about how one’s weekend went. “Well,” people would say, “it was…nice. I got some good news in the mail. Was it nice for you, too?”

So far, thankfully, everyone I spoke with had “nice” weekends.

 

missjillesq walked into a bar…

…and walked out a lawyer

I

PASSED

the

bar!!!!!

 

omfg

Bar results were mailed out today. I should find out my fate tomorrow or Monday…

 

home sweet office

Yesterday I stocked up on a variety of drugs and toiletries for my office. Advil? Check. Lotion? Got it. Cough drops? You bet. It’s nice to have a space once again to store these things. After college I always had a cubicle or an office in which to house my mini-CVS. But law school forced me back into the nomadic student lifestyle of having to haul all of my worldly possessions from class to class. I had (and used) a locker, but you can’t store things like tissues in a space you frequent only a few times a day.

I still haven’t brought in anything personal, however–no pictures of the Bun or law school mementos. Largely, I am having trouble with the idea of creating a sense of permanence without knowing if I passed the bar. True, it would not be hard to sweep a small picture into a cardboard box if I were unceremoniously dismissed due to failing the bar, not that I think that would happen (the firing part, I mean. I think they’ll give me one more chance if I did fail. The passing part feels much more up in the air right now).

But I just haven’t been able to bring myself to settle in. The firm is treating me like a full-fledged attorney for all intents and purposes (save for that ‘not an attorney’ disclaimer I have to put in my email signature). I go to attorney lunches and attend attorney trainings. I have my own office and, much to Mariannika’s delight, a secretary. Nevertheless, it’s a month in and I still feel like an imposter. Despite the fact that I am past the bar, as KHC says, I just don’t think I’ll feel legitimate enough to do any personal decorating until I have passed the bar.

 

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what to wear?

I’ve been anxious about starting work since 1 August, which was the day after the bar ended. For several weeks, my concurrent anxiety about both having failed the bar and about beginning my job resulted in several nightmares a night. Now that I’ve stopped doing things like repeating the three-prong obscenity test in my sleep, I’ve been able to focus my full time nervous energy on starting work. (Mind you, this is not because I’ve stopped fretting about the bar. Rather, I’ve unscientifically concluded it must just be physically impossible to stay so anxious about one subject for so long.)

One topic that’s been on my mind lately: what to wear to work. Specifically, what is appropriate attire as it gets colder and wetter? In the office last summer, my typical attire of black pants and button-front shirts seemed acceptable. However, will I be able to get away with sweaters as the mercury drops, and if so will I be limited to the standard issue twin set?

More pressing: outerwear and commuting shoes. Last summer I commuted in flip flops, changing into regular shoes as soon as I got to work. But even that seemed a bit risque. I lived in constant fear of being stuck on an elevator with a partner, my toes exposed in all of their glory. Appropriateness aside, the weather will all too soon make flip flops impractical. While a comfortable pair of flats will get me through the commute on sunny days, I have no idea what is called for during those dreary rainy and snowy days.

Speaking of rain and snow, what kind of coat makes the most sense? A nice trench will fit the bill for the rain, but I doubt my North Face parka will cut it when it starts snowing. And as much as I want to fit in sartorially, I also don’t want to sacrifice warmth for fashion.

 

coming full circle

The Bun and I moved back to the east coast three years ago today. We met on the west coast, where we lived for a number of years, but we knew it would never be our permanent home. And so we decided to move back to the homeland when I started law school.

Both of us were raised on the east coast, but we wound up in a city where neither of us had any friends or family. It was hard at first, especially for the Bun. He left behind a number of good friends on the west coast. I, on the other hand, had been looking forward to my great escape from pacific time for so long that I didn’t much care that we were arriving in a city where we knew no one. Plus, I knew I would soon meet (and hopefully befriend) other law students.

And now it’s three years later, to the day.

I’m having a hard time right now celebrating being finished with the bar exam. It was hard. There were many questions I did not know. I am happy to have survived it, but it won’t feel like it’s *really* over until the results are released three and a half months from now.

But, I do feel like I can celebrate this three year anniversary with great joy. The Bun and I have put down roots in our new hometown. We are fortunate to have found wonderful friends. We– yes, even the Bun– are thrilled to be back on the east coast. And even if I don’t feel quite right celebrating the end of the bar exam yet, it feels just marvelous to celebrate all that has happened in the past three years.

 

the bar: day 1

Well, that was thoroughly unpleasant. On to day 2!