Happy Bar Results Day!

It's that time again ... time for all you out-of-state J.D.'s (and some of you Boyd students) to sweat it out. Nevada may be the wild wild west of the legal world, but we have a very difficult bar exam that you must pass before we allow you to go out and commit unrestrained malpractice.

Don't worry, we're sure most some of you did fine. For the rest of you ... well, we know of a pretty sweet party tomorrow night where you can drown your sorrows.

Commenters, how about posting some happy thoughts for our soon-to-be-hyperventilating pals? Let them know that life goes on, regardless of the results ... tell them your tales of woe.

Results are usually posted around 1:00 PM ... press button below to check.

Good luck!! Don't forget about tipping us when you become big shot attorneys!

Congratulations Bar Takers!

Three days, eight one-hour essays, two-hundred multiple choice questions and 1.5 hours of testing your ability to do what you actually do as a lawyer ... and it's over! Congratulations to those of you who made it through, and we'd love to hear the stories of those who didn't.

So, how did it go? Did anything interesting happen during the exam? What subjects were tested? If you took the exam this week, please leave us a comment. We want to hear all about it!

Good Luck July Examinees!

Here we go again - time for Ma Bar to do her thing.

To those of you poor souls who will spend the next three days months doubting yourselves: Good Luck!

As for the rest of us, let's offer our soon-to-be-attorneys some advice on how to make it to 1:00 PM on Thursday. Tell your barzam war stories in the comments.

If You Can't Pass It ... Sue It.

A helpful tipster sent us this interesting story from CNS. It may not be Nevada based, but it does involve the 9th Circuit ... and we found it amusing. Our ball, our rules.

Apparently, a group of out-of-state "attorneys" are suing California courts and the 9th Circuit judicial council for ... gasp ... requiring that attorneys pass something called a "bar exam" before practicing law. From CNS:

[Plaintiffs] call the requirement that attorneys practicing in California pass the state Bar exam "discriminatory" and "outdated." The class compares the rules to the situation when "in the 1890s, Homer Plessy, who was 1/8th black, was barred from riding in a 'Whites only' train car by Louisiana State law."

Wait ... Plessy? These people just proved why they should not be allowed to practice law.

However, the suit isn't all batshit crazy; plaintiffs actually make some sense -- while managing to completely miss the point of a bar exam:

The class claims that the state Bar exam is not a reliable device for measuring an attorney's level of expertise: "There is no cause-and-effect nexus whatsoever between practice in the U.S. District Courts and this punitive licensing test," the class claims.

Wait ... the bar has nothing to do with the practice of law? Get out of here! Next you're going to tell us that the LSAT has nothing to do with law school ... or that law school has nothing to do with passing the bar. Crazies.

But seriously, how many of you dreamed of filing this lawsuit about halfway through your bar prep course? We know we did.

The plaintiffs want the 9th Circuit's local general admission rules scrapped, supposedly in favor of an admission-by-motion system. Good luck guys.

(Courthouse News Service; Thanks Tipster!)

Happy Bar Results Day!

It's that time again ... time for all you early graduates, repeat takers and out-of-towners to sweat it out. Nevada may be the wild wild west of the legal world, but we have a very difficult bar exam that you must pass before we allow you to go out and commit unrestrained malpractice. Don't worry, we're sure all but about one-third less than half of you did fine.

Commenters, how about posting some happy thoughts for our soon-to-be-hyperventilating pals? Let them know that life goes on, regardless of the results ... tell them your tales of woe.

Results are usually posted around 1:00 PM ... press button below to check.

Good luck!! Don't forget about tipping us when you become big shot attorneys!

Congratulations February Examinees!

Phew! It's over!

Well, sort of ... you have to wait until April May to find out if it's really over. Congratulations to those of you who made it through the exam, best of luck!

So, how did it go? Did anything interesting happen during the exam? What subjects were tested? If you took the exam this week, please leave us a comment. We want to hear all about it!

Good Luck February Examinees!

That time is again upon us ... time to further flood the market with another round of attorneys.

Good luck to all of you early-graduates, out-of-staters and umpteenth-time takers from your friends at WWL.

Feel free to use the comments of this thread to taunt offer encouragement to our fragile, soon-to-be colleagues.

Boyd Raises The Bar

Say what you will about our local lawyer factory, they certainly are putting up the numbers.

A very respectable 86% (91 of 106) of first-time takers from Boyd School of Law passed the July 2009 bar. The pass rate for all first-time takers was 74%, and the overall pass rate was 63%.

This is the highest passage rate for Boyd to date. The previous high was 83% (paired with a 69% overall pass rate).

Congratulations, Boyd! Now, if you could just limit your next entering class to approximately 15 students, we're sure many of our currently jobless Nevada attorneys would appreciate it.

Here are the numbers:

Overall Pass Rate:
NV overall pass rate (includes both attorneys and students): 63%. In comparison, in July '08, the NV overall pass rate was 69%, while in February '09, the NV overall pass rate was 56%.
Boyd overall pass rate (includes both first-timers and repeaters): 74% (101/136) In comparison, in July '08, Boyd's overall pass rate was 75%, while in February '09, the Boyd's overall pass rate was 58%.

First time Student Takers:
NV pass rate for first-time student takers: 74% In comparison, in July '08, the NV pass rate for first-time student takers was 70%, while in February '09 the NV pass rate for first-time student takers was 46%.
Boyd pass rate for first-time student takers: 86% (91/106) In comparison, in July '08, the Boyd's pass rate for first-time student takers was 83%, while in February '09 Boyd's pass rate for first-time student takers was 58%.

Repeat Takers:
NV pass rate for repeating student takers: 28%. In comparison, in July '08, the NV Pass rate for repeating student takers was 34% and in February '09, the NV pass rate for repeating student takers was 29%.
Boyd pass rate for repeating student takers: 33% (10/30). In comparison, in July '08, the Boyd pass rate for repeating student takers was 48% and in February '09, Boyd's pass rate for repeating student takers was 55%.

Overall for Students:
NV overall pass rate for students (includes both first-timers and repeaters but excludes attorneys licensed in other jurisdictions): 69% In comparison, in July '08, the NV overall pass rate for students was 70% and in February '09, the NV overall pass rate for students was 46%.
Boyd overall pass rate (includes both first-timers and repeaters): 74%. (101/136) In comparison, in July '08, Boyd's overall pass rate was 75% and in February '09, Boyd's overall pass rate was 58%.

Those numbers certainly look good, what do you guys think?

(Thanks, tipster!)

Happy Bar Results Day!

Hey, you.

Yeah you ... the one with the sweaty palms who is supposed to be billing, but is instead checking the local legal gossip blog in hopes you will be able to take your mind off the potentially career-changing news that will drop later today.

You ... the one wondering if it was a good idea to listen to your friend's BarBri bootlegs instead of actually paying for the course.

And you ... the one second-guessing your analysis on whatever asinine question Nevada's sadistic bar examiners decided to trip you up with this year.

RELAX ... you are amongst friends.

Commenters, how about posting some happy thoughts for our soon-to-be-hyperventilating pals? Let them know that life goes on, regardless of the results ... tell them your tales of woe.

RESULTS ARE POSTED ... press button below.

Good luck!! Don't forget about tipping us when you become big shot attorneys!

Congratulations July Examinees!

Phew! It's over, finally over!

Well, kind of ... you have to wait until October to find out if it is really over. Congratulations to those of you who made it through the exam, best of luck to all of you!

So, how did it go? Did anything interesting happen during the exam? What subjects were tested? If you took the exam this week, please leave us a comment. We want to hear all about it!

Try to restrain yourselves from just typing a string of expletives, we know it sucked.

Good Luck July Examinees!

Nothing we could possibly say will make those of you starting the bar exam on Tuesday feel any better.

So, on the heels of Elle's post, let's use this thread to impart wisdom onto our fellow attorney hopefuls.

How about it, readers? Any advice for our friends on how to tackle what is likely the most difficult bar exam in the nation? Funny bar stories are also welcome.

Breaking News about the Bar Exam

Today, the Las Vegas Sun posted an amazing expose on the Nevada Bar exam. While this may be hard to believe, the bar exam is both hard and stressful.

The article focused on the efforts of Byron Francis, managing partner of the Nevada offices of Armstrong Teasdale. Mr. Francis, listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2009 in construction law, has been licensed in Missouri since 1974.

The Pulitzer Prize winning Sun offered amazing insight into the experience of taking the bar. Truly, these are things that none of our WWL readers have ever considered, I'm sure. Here are some highlights:

• The bar exam is taken by mostly "20-somethings with MacBooks who had been doing nothing but studying for the exam for months." [Hey, Apple, this is perfect for one of those commercials with Drew Barrymore's ex boyfriend and the PC guy. Poor Mr. Francis had some difficulty with his computer during the exam and we can only assume it was one of those dreadful PCs.]
  
  
• Nevada does not offer reciprocity or an easier test to those who have been licensed in other states, regardless of their legal service elsewhere. [Because otherwise, everyone would pack their bags and take North Carolina, which my law school career counselor told me was the easiest exam in the country.]
  
  
• "There were moments during the exam when he felt sure to fail." [Awww, Mr. Francis, this happens to everyone. Chin up. As I learned from Lil C on a recent episode of So You Think You Can Dance, "lack of confidence can be the heaviest anchor" in keeping us from fulfilling our dreams.]
  
  
• Nevada is one of the most difficult bar exams in the country. [Something warm and fuzzy for bar prep season.]
  
  
• Waiting for results is scary.
  

Fortunately, this tale has a happy ending; Mr. Francis passed. Upcoming bar takers, I hope you feel more confident knowing that a man who has been practicing longer than most of you have been alive was able to pass.

Note to The Sun: Perhaps you should consider focusing on one of the 20-somethings with the MacBooks trying to get a job in the current legal market. There's another bar exam in July. I bet you can find someone looking for a job that you can interview. Let's try this again and we'll review your findings in another six months.

February Bar Results Are Out

Congratulations/condolences to all of you February bar-takers who passed/failed. The pass rate was 56%, which is lower than July's 69% pass rate, but on par with February 2008's 57% pass rate. 

No word yet on what our local lawyer factory's passage rate was, but we'll let you know when we find out. Feel free to use the comments of this post to express exuberation/blow off steam. 

Congratulations Bar Takers!

Congratulations to all of you who recently completed the Nevada bar!

So, how was it? We're sure some of our soon-to-be-graduating readers would appreciate a heads-up on the subjects tested. If you took it, let us know in the comments.

Also, we have extended the final day for submission of Shark Pimp questions through Sunday, as we know a lot of you catch up on your legal gossip over the weekend. Keep the questions coming!

Finally, don't forget to weigh in with your opinion on cram-down mortgage legislation in the ongoing comment discussion featuring attorney Anthony Deluca.

Good Luck on the Bar Exam!

To all of you early graduates, out-of-staters, and second-time takers, good luck on the February Bar Exam from your friends at WWL. In case you needed corroboration concerning the audacity of what you are doing, David Mills has provided his (humorous) take.

Feel free to use the comments of this post to blow off steam in between essays days.

New Attorneys!

Congratulations to Nevada's newest attorneys (July '08 bar pass list available here).  Looks like the pass rate was 69%.  Passing the bar seems to be getting a little easier.  Don't tell the New Yorkers or we'll be flooded with east coast assholes/attorneys.

Good luck

Good luck to all those bar applicants who find out if they passed or failed in an hour.  I know all the clerks at this office are on pins and needles.

Mid-Week Roundup

Good luck to all the Nevada Bar takers this week. Keep those heads up on day 3. It could be worse--there could have been an earthquake on day 1 of the bar like there was in California. (Abovethelaw) [Just another reason practicing in Nevada is better].

But not everyone in Vegas escaped the earthquake shaking. Judge Glass halted a hearing due to the shaking on the 15th floor of the Clark County Courthouse. (Review-Journal)

Do you believe in karma? [Alleged] Hep-C dispenser, Dr. Needles Desai, might--he just suffered a stroke. (Review-Journal)

Celebrities are still behaving badly in Vegas. This time it was Jerry Lewis, who was arrested for having a gun in his luggage at the Vegas airport. (Washington Post)

Ever thought that reading about judicial candidates was too much effort? Well now you can watch their videos on YouTube. (Harmful Error)

Or you could always continue to read up on the candidates on Harmful Error: including the details on the race for Family Court Dept. Q between Allan Bray, Bryce Duckworth, Thomas Kurtz, Tony Liker, and Carl Piazza (Harmful Error) and details on the race for Family Court Dept. R between Brigid Duffy, Fernando Guzman, Bill Henderson, Chuck Hoskin, Pamela Lawson, Maria Maskall (Harmful Error)

Still too much and you're up in Washoe County? Harmful Error has posted the result of the Washoe County survey of judges. (Harmful Error) (survey results available here). Some of the Washoe County judges are not fans of the rankings. Washoe County Family Court Judge Weller is protesting his low ranking on the survey. (Reno Gazette-Journal)

In other oddity news, remember the story that Elvis was alive and stealing houses? Apparently, he jumped on his spaceship [or left town] and he's gone. (Las Vegas Now)

Nevada Bar--too hard for New Yorkers?

Over at Abovethelaw, the editors posted an open thread about bar results. Amazingly, our tiny little hideaway known as Nevada became a topic of discussion, when at 1:35 p.m. (EST) a reader wrote:

I passed the NY bar the first try, but just found out I failed the NV bar by less than a point. They're running a scam out here in the desert. If you ever contemplate coming out here, give it a second thought. They have no reciprocity, they don't want you, and they won't make it easy for you to practice here.

The author's comment received the usual mature responses. For your entertainment, here they are:

[at 1:39 p.m.] 1:35, I think they just don't want retards to practice there.
[at 1:45 p.m.] Actually, Nevada sounds like the only intelligent state bar. How many attorneys are in NY now, 700 million?
[at 1:48 p.m.] 1:35, over a third of UNLV grads are retards!
[at 2:26 p.m.] 57% pass rate in NV (nvbar.org/admissions). Pretty low considering we have plenty of tards practicing out in the desert--we just try to keep out the east coast retards.

Ouch. Calling the Nevada State Bar exam a "scam". Those are some hard feelings.

Buck up people who failed the Nevada Bar. First, only 57% passed, which means you have a lot of company. Second, it could be worse. You could be in Louisiana, where they try to liven things up by posting a fake list of all the people who failed.

Thurs afternoon roundup

Congrats to the Boyd School of Law: 77% of their first time bar applicants passed the Feb. 2008 bar exam, which had an overall pass rate of 57%. (UNLV press release)

The suspect in the Minxx shooting has accused Pacman Jones of masterminding the shooting that resulted in a death at the club. (ESPN)

The Sullivan Square developer is suing an Irish development company on a case of "economic bullying" (Review-Journal)

The state's AG won't rule on whether the Governor's move out of the Gov. mansion is legal (Las Vegas Sun)

Former local tv show host in Reno got some jail time on false pretenses (Reno Gazette-Journal)

And don't get road rage with an off duty cop or you'll get jail time (Nevada Appeal)