50 days to the bar exam.
Flights and hotel - check.
Post-bar exam Vegas trip - check.
Dressing table turned to faux desk - check.
Study schedule check.
Knowing law... erm... yeah I'll come back to you...
Monday, 7 January 2013
Saturday, 1 December 2012
Reasons why I may fail the bar exam - Part II
The rule against perpetuities.
It's a bitch.
Yes, I studied it in law school, but I don't remember it being this complicated! Certainly I never had to learn anything about vested interests or contingent springing defasible options subject to open executory interests or any of that crap.
Now, I know I'm not stupid, I deal with all kinds of complicated crap at work all day, every day, but somehow I just cannot get all these stupid interests in my head.
I suspect that my preparation tactic in this respect will be to just memorise everything and not even bother trying to understand it, since that currently seems like a totally pointless exercise...
It's a bitch.
Yes, I studied it in law school, but I don't remember it being this complicated! Certainly I never had to learn anything about vested interests or contingent springing defasible options subject to open executory interests or any of that crap.
Now, I know I'm not stupid, I deal with all kinds of complicated crap at work all day, every day, but somehow I just cannot get all these stupid interests in my head.
I suspect that my preparation tactic in this respect will be to just memorise everything and not even bother trying to understand it, since that currently seems like a totally pointless exercise...
Saturday, 24 November 2012
To-do list
Ok. I have two weekends left before Themis starts on 3 Dec. That is including this weekend and noting the fact that next weekend I MUST go Christmas shopping and today I am only just starting to study because I had to go grocery shopping in the morning and then my flatmate's parents were here.
So now I'm cracking on and here is the to-do list before I can start bar prep lectures:
Reading
1. Criminal (about 50% left)
2. CivPro (this one's a killer, over 100 pages)
3. Real property
4. Trusts
Outlines (to be combined with reading where reading not already done)
1. Contracts
2. Torts
3. Remedies
4. PR
5. Con law
6. Criminal
7. CivPro (see above)
8. Real property
9. Trusts
I also have a bunch of first-year and upper level lectures to listen to and do the handouts on, this includes finishing up real property and civpro handouts and finishing lectures and handouts on corporations, evidence, wills and trusts.
Obviously all of this is NOT going to happen before 3 December, but I'm going to give it a damn good go! Watch this space!
So now I'm cracking on and here is the to-do list before I can start bar prep lectures:
Reading
1. Criminal (about 50% left)
2. CivPro (this one's a killer, over 100 pages)
3. Real property
4. Trusts
Outlines (to be combined with reading where reading not already done)
1. Contracts
2. Torts
3. Remedies
4. PR
5. Con law
6. Criminal
7. CivPro (see above)
8. Real property
9. Trusts
I also have a bunch of first-year and upper level lectures to listen to and do the handouts on, this includes finishing up real property and civpro handouts and finishing lectures and handouts on corporations, evidence, wills and trusts.
Obviously all of this is NOT going to happen before 3 December, but I'm going to give it a damn good go! Watch this space!
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Reasons why I may fail the bar exam - Part I
Reason 1: I can't get myself out of bed.
I go to work in my Big Law job every day so I already don't have a whole bunch of time to study. I usually roll up at the office around 9.30, so the key is to study in the mornings, get an hour or so in before work as after work my brain is not usually still functioning.
So far, for the last couple of weeks, I have woken up without fail at 6.30, not feeling too sleepy, thinking "perfect, I can get up and study now". Yet, somehow, so far this is yet to happen.
Therefore, if I fail the bar exam, my inability to motivate/terrify myself into action in the mornings instead of pressing snooze repeatedly, will most likely have been my downfall.
In other news, I was allocated to Pasadena, which was my first choice, and I've booked myself into a hotel. So at least that part is done. Just need to learn the law now...
I go to work in my Big Law job every day so I already don't have a whole bunch of time to study. I usually roll up at the office around 9.30, so the key is to study in the mornings, get an hour or so in before work as after work my brain is not usually still functioning.
So far, for the last couple of weeks, I have woken up without fail at 6.30, not feeling too sleepy, thinking "perfect, I can get up and study now". Yet, somehow, so far this is yet to happen.
Therefore, if I fail the bar exam, my inability to motivate/terrify myself into action in the mornings instead of pressing snooze repeatedly, will most likely have been my downfall.
In other news, I was allocated to Pasadena, which was my first choice, and I've booked myself into a hotel. So at least that part is done. Just need to learn the law now...
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Where's The Fear?
I'm lacking The Fear. I'm sure it will come, but so far I haven't been able to get on top of things.
My plan has been to do all the reading and outlines before the bar review lectures start on 3 December, but I am WAY behind. Here's where I am:
Outlines completed: Evidence, wills, agency, community property, crim pro, partnerships
Reading done: PR, corps
Not even touched: civ pro, con law, trusts, remedies, real property, contracts, torts, remedies, sales, criminal
The logic was to start with the subjects that are completely unfamiliar to me, so evidence, wills and CP, and leave the 'easier' stuff until later, being things like contracts and torts which are basically exactly the same here and in CA so, in theory at least, it would take me less time to get to grips with them.
Now, obviously I am not going to get through all this material in three weekends, so I must get more done during the week, but somehow this is just not happening. It may be the case that I would only do the reading and not the outlining, but then at some point I WILL have to do the outlining... bah.
This is somewhat unfamiliar to me, as I have always been so efficient with my studying, but various stresses with stupid boys and work have somehow derailed me this time... watch this space!
My plan has been to do all the reading and outlines before the bar review lectures start on 3 December, but I am WAY behind. Here's where I am:
Outlines completed: Evidence, wills, agency, community property, crim pro, partnerships
Reading done: PR, corps
Not even touched: civ pro, con law, trusts, remedies, real property, contracts, torts, remedies, sales, criminal
The logic was to start with the subjects that are completely unfamiliar to me, so evidence, wills and CP, and leave the 'easier' stuff until later, being things like contracts and torts which are basically exactly the same here and in CA so, in theory at least, it would take me less time to get to grips with them.
Now, obviously I am not going to get through all this material in three weekends, so I must get more done during the week, but somehow this is just not happening. It may be the case that I would only do the reading and not the outlining, but then at some point I WILL have to do the outlining... bah.
This is somewhat unfamiliar to me, as I have always been so efficient with my studying, but various stresses with stupid boys and work have somehow derailed me this time... watch this space!
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Kick start
The vacation is over (sniff!) and it's time to get down and dirty. The week before I went I did NOTHING. I am behind my schedule big time and need to catch up. This week at work was unpleasant to say the least, so this weekend I must get on top of things. Fortunately I made my schedule pretty loose so I have a bit of time...
I've filed my bar exam application, which makes it all a little terrifying. I filled out my form, forked up $1200 and picked my preferred exam locations. So now there is no going back and I have to actually learn all the stuff, eek!
So here we go. Crim Pro this weekend. I've done the reading, just need to do the outline. Sadly I fear that will take me more than the five hours I have between now and when I have to go and buy a last minute Halloween costume!
I've filed my bar exam application, which makes it all a little terrifying. I filled out my form, forked up $1200 and picked my preferred exam locations. So now there is no going back and I have to actually learn all the stuff, eek!
So here we go. Crim Pro this weekend. I've done the reading, just need to do the outline. Sadly I fear that will take me more than the five hours I have between now and when I have to go and buy a last minute Halloween costume!
Sunday, 7 October 2012
I've lost a little bit of momentum this week on the bar study front, mainly for two reasons.
1. The bureaucracy involved in moral character applications is making me super depressed. I get that I need to give you my fingerprints, despite the fact that the US government has my fingerprints in many many many places. I get that I have to go and get it done at the police station. I also get that you have to have a specific FBI form to put the fingerprints on.
What I don't get is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to get these forms from anywhere. You won't send me one, the police station doesn't keep them, so the only option is to PRINT one off the internet. This to me seems like a very bizarre solution considering the difficulty in obtaining these forms in the first place.
So anyway, I'm going to print the bloody form and we will see what happens... I'm sure that won't be the end of it. But this whole process has depressed me as it's making me feel like maybe this is too much effort.
2. I'm going on vacation in a week's time! Beach, cocktails, dancing the night away. This is far more exciting than bar study at this point. Yesterday I spent all day out shopping and picking outfits to take. This is exhausting, I will have you know. This morning I have finished up the packing prep and now I am finally sitting down to write my community property outline.
Well, the sun is shining, so maybe I will also go for a walk a bit later on...
1. The bureaucracy involved in moral character applications is making me super depressed. I get that I need to give you my fingerprints, despite the fact that the US government has my fingerprints in many many many places. I get that I have to go and get it done at the police station. I also get that you have to have a specific FBI form to put the fingerprints on.
What I don't get is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to get these forms from anywhere. You won't send me one, the police station doesn't keep them, so the only option is to PRINT one off the internet. This to me seems like a very bizarre solution considering the difficulty in obtaining these forms in the first place.
So anyway, I'm going to print the bloody form and we will see what happens... I'm sure that won't be the end of it. But this whole process has depressed me as it's making me feel like maybe this is too much effort.
2. I'm going on vacation in a week's time! Beach, cocktails, dancing the night away. This is far more exciting than bar study at this point. Yesterday I spent all day out shopping and picking outfits to take. This is exhausting, I will have you know. This morning I have finished up the packing prep and now I am finally sitting down to write my community property outline.
Well, the sun is shining, so maybe I will also go for a walk a bit later on...
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