What Was Your Pandemic Project? Most people were satisfied with learning how to bake sourdough bread, or attempt to learn a new language. I decided to try taking second bar exam with the goal of opening an estate planning and consumer bankruptcy practice outside of California.
Taking another bar exam was not an easy decision. I went to law school in California. I took the California Bar exam in February 2011. The California Bar Exam is a brutal, 3-day, academic marathon. When most candidates take the exam, they are fresh out of law school and all of that random legal knowledge was learned in the last 3 or 4 years. In the February 2022 administration of the California Bar Exam, only 33.9% of the people taking the exam passed and qualified as California attorneys.
If you talk to most attorneys, they will tell you horror stories about both their preparation for the test and of the challenges of the test itself.
I took the California exam in February 2011. Studying for another state’s bar exam was not high on my list of priorities.
I chose to take the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). The UBE is currently accepted in 17 different states, depending on the taker’s qualifying score. In February 2021, I flew to Helena, Montana for the Montana State 3 day bar exam. The exam was held in the first two days and a third day was spent studying Montana law.
It was difficult. For the 5 months prior to the exam I had to balance running my law practice along with studying (and relearning) numerous areas of law. However, I received a high passing score. I am now licensed to practice in Montana as well as California. I have also been admitted to the Federal Court for the State of Montana.
While I do not plan on closing my California practice, I am looking forward to opening a practice in the Bozeman area of Montana as soon as the opportunity arises.
If you need legal assistance for consumer bankruptcy, estate planning, or trust administration in California or Montana, please give my office a call. We can help!
