Yes, it is in the rear view mirror – the bar exam is over – until the next time.

After three – maybe four – years of law school, my students were asked to put all their eggs in one basket, to place all their chips on one roll, and a bunch of other clichés. The most arduous two days of a law student's life: the bar exam.

As I tell my students, “You will never, in your entire legal career, know as much law as you do today.”

One of my favorite students sweated through the bar exam Tuesday and Wednesday. We took him out for a top-shelf, hard-earned, well-deserved scotch.

As we listened to him recount the questions and the answers that he remembered, we were amazed at his depth of knowledge and understanding of the topics.

Yes, he felt confident, and he was prepared. We smiled proudly, beaming at him, and happily patted ourselves on the back for nurturing and mentoring him through his difficult days.

Soon, he will be a lawyer and a fine colleague.

Do you fear that phone interview?

As so many law students are preparing to take the bar exam this week, I thought that this article from the recent ABA eJournal would give them a heads-up regarding phone interviews.

The tips and suggestions offered use just plain common sense to any job seeker, not just to veteran attorneys looking to make the jump from “Big Law” to “Going Solo.”

To the recruiter, phone interviews are just one more way to streamline the process of finding and hiring the right person for the job.

FROM THE JULY 2007 ABA JOURNAL:
Dialing Up the Next Job:
The future may be calling, so don't get hung up on phone interviews
By Hope Viner Samborn

Among other nifty tips and suggestions, author Hope Viner Samborn recommends that job seekers:

PREPARE AS IF YOU’LL BE THERE

She also recommends that job applicants take notes—normally inappropriate in person but extremely helpful in a telephone interview. Conducting the interview in a quiet space is also key. “You’ll kick yourself until Tuesday if the baby sitter knocks on the door or the dog wanted to go out,” … “Turn off the radio and the TV,” … If you have a noisy dog, don’t do it at home. Do it where you can concentrate.”… Nor should a job applicant jump to do a phone interview whenever a prospective employer calls. “You need to be prepared. ” … “You want to show that you are flattered, but it doesn’t mean you have to do it right then just because that is when they called.”…“You can’t be on a StairMaster talking to a senior partner and make the impression you want to make,” . . .Job seekers should prepare for a telephone interview the same way that they would for any other interview. Study the employer carefully and review company or law firm Web sites.

Click here to read the entire article.

http://www.abanet.org/journal/ereport/jy20ca.html

The tips and suggestions work in other situations where the phone presence is critical.

For sure, I have learned so much.

Are text messages admissible into evidence? YES.

The Maryland Court of Special Appeals held that text messages are admissible if there is enough circumstantial evidence to establish that the Defendant actually sent them to the victim's phone.


See the reported Opinion:
Dickens v. State, CSA No. 1739, Sept. Term 2005. Reported. Opinion by Salmon, J. Filed July 2, 2007.



Those little tiny flare-ups, temper tantrums, nasty remarks, often sent in haste, just might come back to haunt you. Use caution, please, or you might have to eat your words.

Happy Birthday to Our Wonderful Nation

Our Nation celebrated its Birthday on Independence Day. We stood on Constitution Avenue and watched the Parade, waving at the folks who marched.

Living in the Nation’s Capitol is a privilege so dear to this writer’s heart. It is a true honor to be living here in the seat of Government and Power.

Click here to read all about Independence Day celebrations in the District of Columbia, the Federal City, and to see some great photos.

Bar Preparation:Which Prep Course is Right? Or Wrong?

It's July again. That time of the year. As the time for the Bar Exam looooooooooms in the near future, my students often ask me for advice on WHICH Par Prep package is the right one?

Without hesitation, I do not recommend any one prep course over the other. I tell them which prep course worked for me.

When pressed further, my standard answer is, "Whichever works best for you."
And that is good, solid, advice.

Different students use different methods to succeed in law school -- creating flash cards, listening to tapes or CDs, joining a study group, or reciting aloud -- the same method works for Bar Preparation.

One other bit of advice? Choose your prep course wisely.

Bar Review Prep Company Must Pay $12 Million for Infringement

By DEBORAH NATHAN, ESQ., Andrews Publications Staff Writer

A popular bar review study course that copies questions verbatim from the Multistate Bar Examination:

a) is liable for copyright infringement,
b) is subject to an injunction,
c) must pay the plaintiff's attorneys fees or
d) all of the above.

The answer is d), according to a federal judge who assessed damages of $12 million against Multistate Legal Studies Inc.

The company must also pay the legal fees and costs incurred by the National Conference of Bar Examiners and is enjoined from continuing to infringe NCBE's copyrights.

Thanks to Findlaw. Click here to read the entire article. It's an eye-popper.
http://news.findlaw.com/andrews/bt/int/20060907/20060907_barreview.html

Thanks to Cornell Law: Click here to read the opinion.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/692_F2d_478.htm

And click here for the story in the National Conference of Bar Examiner's Web Page:
http://www.ncbex.org/the-bar-examiner/article-archive/

Eyes open. Caution. That's all.

Teacher or Lawyer? How about doing both?

In light of the recent terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom, the prospect of flying back to Michigan every week in the fall to teach looms unpleasant for this Law Professor.

Is it possible to combine the love of teaching with the love for the law? Yes, for Danielle Colyer.
The current ABA Journal eReport details the story of a "burnt-out" teacher who started her own solo practice. And she is quite successful, too.

Danielle Colyer went to law school, she says, because she burned out trying to teach uninterested students. Ms. Colyer teaches at Jones College Prep, a magnet high school in Chica­go’s South Loop neighborhood. She is also the single mom of a grade schooler and runs a busy real estate law practice from her home office.

Her story intrigues me.

FROM THE JULY ABA JOURNAL
Her Homework: Law Practice
After a busy day in the classroom, this teacher gets her solo practice going

By Margaret Graham Tebo

Thank you for the inspiration, Ms. Coyler.
Read the article in the July Edition of the ABA Journal eReport.

http://www.abanet.org/journal/ereport/jn29solo.html

Strong women ccontinue to inspire.