Hello sk-ii,

Thanks for responding to my post. You advice is greatly appreciated. Its good to know that I'm not the only out there trying to figure this whole thing out. Know this, first year grades are important but they aren't everything. You know better then some that experience is what counts. So, if your grades are suffering right now, try to get as much practical experience as you can in actual law related stuff, i.e. writing motions for summary judgment, drafting contracts/wills, negotiating/mediating conflicts, etc. Or find an area of law that you excel in and stick to that. Fight the hyperfocus urge to keep hammering at stuff that you don't think is working out for you. I call it chasing the white rabbit down the rabbit hole. Remember what is most important, securing employment post law school.

As for the bar advice, I take the bar in July and I'm taking a bar review course, I would suggest the same for you. Disclaimer: I worked for Kaplan PMBR's bar review company as the Head Representative while in law school. The benefits of the bar review course, and this is true for most of them, is that it is structured for you. All you have to do is show up and do the work. As for figuring out what to study and how to study, the courses basically guide you through it. For instance, Kaplan's course keeps an updated list of problems you partially complete, creates graphs and data on how you are doing, pinpoints areas for improvements, suggests questions targeting those areas and gives unlimited access to everything your course offers. Some others don't do that. Whatever law school you are currently attending, I'd say talk to your student representatives, or the regional reps when they show up for ALL the bar review companies jockeying for your money. That way you can find out exactly how the courses are structured and whether a particular course/company will work for you.

However, you should be warned that bar review courses are expensive, but so is everything else law school related. (Wait til you start shelling out cash just to take the bar!) I suggest finding a course that works for you, see if you can afford, and then figure out how you can get it for free. Usually as a representative you can sometimes get your course for free or a discounted price. If you can't afford the course, find someone else who is studying for the same bar and see if you can copy their schedule and create something that will work for you. Also, sometimes people sell their old bar review course materials online so keep a look out for that too.

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