The '09 Minnesota Bar Exam — Day 1 (Video)

Jul 28th, 2009 by Mark Cohen

Minnesota Lawyer video correspondent Brittany Storoz was at the RiverCentre in St. Paul this morning as 830 law grads filed in to take the Minnesota bar exam. As they waited for the exam to start, several exam takers spoke with Storoz about their preparatory efforts and about the stress of taking the exam while many of them are still looking for jobs in the worst economy in decades.

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9 Responses to “The '09 Minnesota Bar Exam — Day 1 (Video)”

Anonymous says:

July 28, 2009 at 8:29 pm

Good luck getting a job with two (soon to be three) bar failures and a St. TTThomas degree.
MondaleHowl says:

July 28, 2009 at 8:35 pm

This video is a great example of the oversaturated Twin Cities legal market. We need to close down at least one, and preferably two law schools.
John Murphy says:

July 29, 2009 at 7:46 am

As a 2007 grad, my heart goes out to the class of 08 and 09. At bar time, our class had almost no buzz about the employment market, our big worry was the exam. While that has changed and, like everyone, I know my share of 07 grads without steady jobs, I can’t imagine the stress of having the exam and looking for work — of any kind. It’s not like non-legal jobs are plentiful either.

I had heard that at least one contract attorney firm has closed down its services for lack of work…although I can’t verify that. Perhaps that would be an interesting follow up on how the “fall back” is even failing.
Anonymous says:

July 29, 2009 at 7:51 am

The bar exam is a minimum competency exam. With 92% plus pass rates in MN, two failures should cause one to very seriously consider alternative paths. People probably shouldn’t be allowed to take it more than two or three times.
John Murphy says:

July 29, 2009 at 8:33 am

I agree with Anonymous that one must consider alternatives if one has not passed the bar twice in this state. However, let’s not pretend that capability in practice is at all tested by the bar exam. It’s really a minimum retention exam. (And yes, I passed first time). As a prior business owner for 17 years, I found my life/business experience far more preparatory for practice than the mere “facts” I memorized in law school. That said, I do think the bar exam adequately tests analytical and logical reasoning, which is a component of practice/argumentation. Still, it leaves a lot to be desired.
Anonymous says:

July 29, 2009 at 9:14 am

At first, I was skeptical about the value of the this reporting; that is, until I listened to what the sources had to say. Not only is the market oversaturated with lawyers, it is oversaturated with law students (and unemployed lawyers) who cannot see a path out of the woods. Of particular interest was the source who suggested that doing well on the bar exam is important because of this economy and the struggling job market. I have never heard of an employer looking at an applicant’s bar exam score. In reality, it is a pass/fail exam. Of course, if you are trying to “waive in” to another state, the numerical score may be important. But that does not appear to be the source’s situation. Too many law students, too few jobs, crushing law school debt. It is a recipe for disaster.
'08 Grad says:

July 29, 2009 at 1:04 pm

I would be soooo annoyed if I had just gone into (or come out of) the bar exam and someone wanted to interview me, especially about the job market. Leave them alone!
Jasper says:

July 30, 2009 at 9:58 am

In a YouTube and twitter world…I cannot blame a reporter for seeking out an opportunity for a news story. There is heavy competition for all job seekers (news reporters, lawyers, and all other job seekers alike) looking to separate themselves from the status quo.

As I see it, the Media has two shinig stars to refer to on July 29, 2009: Brittany Storoz and Joe Mauer. The latter needing no introduction. If anybody should be bitter, it should be the remaining eight hundred twenty nine (829) law grads.
09BarCandidate says:

July 31, 2009 at 5:08 pm

To the 1st Anonymous: I agree that failing the bar twice may make it more difficult to land a job. But the second part (having a St. Thomas law degree) is simply without any basis and makes you sound like a snide jerk.