What essay questions do you remember from the bar exam?
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When test-takers took the California bar exam earlier this week, some say they might have had a leg up.
An email from State Bar of California days before the test listed the essay question topics to be covered on the bar exam.
The state bar had just mistakenly sent the topics list to 16 law school deans before the exam rather than after it.
While the state bar didn’t think any of the 16 deans disclosed the essay question information, “out of an abundance of caution and fairness,” it decided to share the essay question topics—which included civil procedure, remedies and constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, and professional responsibility and contracts—with all test-takers.
This week, we’d like to ask: What essay questions do you remember from the bar exam? Do they actually resemble questions that you’ve seen in your practice or legal work?
Answer in the comments on our social media channels via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Check out last week’s question: What terms and phrases do lawyers overuse?
And view some of last week’s answers from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Featured answer:
Posted by Jered L. Hock on Facebook:
“‘Enclosed herewith’ or, even worse, ‘Enclosed herewith please find …’ Comment: The recipient understands. If something’s ‘enclosed,’ the recipient knows it’s in the envelope or package that the lawyer sent.
‘In close proximity to …’ Comment: Did you ever hear of ‘remote proximity’? Of course you didn’t. ‘Proximity’ means closeness. Why not just say ‘near,’ a four-letter, one-syllable word that wins every time against the seven-syllable ‘in cl … pr … to.’
‘In addition thereto …’ Ah, yes, I remember the senior partner who appended ‘thereto’ to the phrase even when he was talking to his grandchildren. He could have lopped the last word off or, even better, just said ‘also.’”
Do you have an idea for a future Question of the Week? If so, contact us.
