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 California Bar ExamBy reputation, California and New York vie for the honor of having the toughest Bar Exams in the country. With over 160,000 members of the State Bar of California, the exam obviously is passable, but it is not easy. The California Bar exam is given in three parts: an essay section, a performance test, and the multistate (MBE). The three-part Bar Exam is given over three days, on the last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in February and July, and the results are released in late May and late November, respectively. Test sites are in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other locations throughout the state. The essay portion counts for approximately 40% of the grade, the performance section accounts for approximately 25%, and the multistate for 35%. Additionally, all applicants for admission to the bar must also pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) which consists of 50 multiple-choice questions regarding the ABA Rules of Professional Responsibility and ABA Code of Judicial Conduct. The MPRE is offered in November, March, and August, and may be taken while still in law school. The essay section of the Bar Exam is given in two sessions: Tuesday and Thursday mornings, during which applicants have three hours to answer three questions. Knowledge of general principles of law, rather than specific California Law, is required in the following areas: community property, civil procedure, Constitutional law, contracts, corporations, criminal law and procedure, evidence, professional responsibility, real property, remedies, torts, trusts, and wills. There are two performance tests: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, consisting of a three-hour writing project. The projects vary, but may include preparing a memo of points and authorities, a memo of law to a senior partner, an appellate brief, a closing argument, a discovery plan and interrogatories, or a client letter. Test-takers are given a packet of instructions, factual data, statutes, cases, and memoranda from a hypothetical law firm to use in preparing the requested project. The multistate (MBE) exam is given all day Wednesday, and consists of 200 questions over two three-hour sessions. The questions are evenly divided amongst six subject areas: Constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property, and torts. California does not accept scores from MBE exams taken in other jurisdictions. However, attorneys who have practiced in another state for four out of the six years immediately preceding their application to the State Bar of California may take the Attorney Examination, which excludes the multistate portion of the Bar Exam. (Note that California does not grant admission to practice by reciprocity; an attorney admitted elsewhere cannot "waive in" here. Everyone wishing to practice law in the state of California must take either the general or attorney bar exam.) Applications for the Bar Exam must be received by the Committee of Bar Examiners four months before the exam. In addition, applicants must also complete the Application for Admission to Practice in the State of California: Moral Character Screening. Processing the Moral Character Screening can take up to six months. Attorneys moving to California from out of state often ask us whether they should take the Bar Exam before or after securing a position here. Generally, California employers favor candidates who already are admitted to the Bar. Because the exam is onerous, and it takes approximately six months to get the results and be sworn in, employers would prefer an attorney who can "hit the ground running". This is especially true for litigators as compared to transactional attorneys. In the past, many corporations required only that attorneys be admitted to practice in any state; now, many are requiring admission in California specifically. However, in this booming legal market, law firm employers are more willing to hire attorneys who have not yet sat for the Bar, if they are otherwise exceptionally qualified. Many of the larger firms have extended their entry-level associate Bar Exam taking policies (paying for the exam registration and review course, plus a number of weeks of time off to study and take the exam at full salary) to lateral hires. These items, as with relocation packages, are often the subject of negotiation once an offer of employment has been extended. If an attorney is serious about relocating to California, it is wise to register and sit for the next exam. This shows commitment and initiative, and is viewed very favorably by prospective employers. The California Bar exam is extremely difficult and preparation should be taken seriously. It is virtually impossible to work full time while studying for the exam, and earn a passing grade. Therefore, our recommendation is to make plans regarding the bar exam as soon as a move to California is contemplated, register, start to study, and . . . GOOD LUCK! Additional information regarding Admission to the State Bar of California can be obtained from: Committee of Bar Examiners BarBri Bar Review Course: 800-995-5227 |
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