Bar journey, mine specifically with the NY bar, was a bitter one. Between 2010 and 2012, I had taken it four times and failed them all. I am Michelle Obama x2, and JFK combined. I traveled on that brutal coast-to-coast redeye alone and visited Niagara Falls in humid summer and harsh winter in Buffalo. For the first time in my adult life, I think I was taught that mere repetition doesn't lead to perfection.
Quite brutally, that serial failure had gloomed over my entire 20s. It made me doubt my intellect and feel an incredible sense of shame every time I had to explain "why paralegal after law school."
In hindsight, it wasn't all bad, though. Eventually, I took and passed the CA bar (2 tries) and started working as an attorney. This week I'll hit the one-year mark of lawyering. Only now do I see the benefit of working as a long-term paralegal. It ingrained in me a customer-service approach to everything, which goes a long way in areas of law that address family life (e.g. trust and estates). In addition, the history of bar failures pushed me to be more gritty. I practically swallowed one giant humble pill over a decade, which feeds into character growth and healing. 良药苦口利于病
Thank you so much for sharing your bar journey, Irene! Gosh... That sounds so brutal. Congratulations on passing the CA Bar and celebrating your one-year lawyering anniversary:)
Bar journey, mine specifically with the NY bar, was a bitter one. Between 2010 and 2012, I had taken it four times and failed them all. I am Michelle Obama x2, and JFK combined. I traveled on that brutal coast-to-coast redeye alone and visited Niagara Falls in humid summer and harsh winter in Buffalo. For the first time in my adult life, I think I was taught that mere repetition doesn't lead to perfection.
Quite brutally, that serial failure had gloomed over my entire 20s. It made me doubt my intellect and feel an incredible sense of shame every time I had to explain "why paralegal after law school."
In hindsight, it wasn't all bad, though. Eventually, I took and passed the CA bar (2 tries) and started working as an attorney. This week I'll hit the one-year mark of lawyering. Only now do I see the benefit of working as a long-term paralegal. It ingrained in me a customer-service approach to everything, which goes a long way in areas of law that address family life (e.g. trust and estates). In addition, the history of bar failures pushed me to be more gritty. I practically swallowed one giant humble pill over a decade, which feeds into character growth and healing. 良药苦口利于病
Bar journey, mine specifically with the NY bar, was a bitter one. Between 2010 and 2012, I had taken it four times and failed them all. I am Michelle Obama x2, and JFK combined. I traveled on that brutal coast-to-coast redeye alone and visited Niagara Falls in humid summer and harsh winter in Buffalo. For the first time in my adult life, I think I was taught that mere repetition doesn't lead to perfection.
Quite brutally, that serial failure had gloomed over my entire 20s. It made me doubt my intellect and feel an incredible sense of shame every time I had to explain "why paralegal after law school."
In hindsight, it wasn't all bad, though. Eventually, I took and passed the CA bar (2 tries) and started working as an attorney. This week I'll hit the one-year mark of lawyering. Only now do I see the benefit of working as a long-term paralegal. It ingrained in me a customer-service approach to everything, which goes a long way in areas of law that address family life (e.g. trust and estates). In addition, the history of bar failures pushed me to be more gritty. I practically swallowed one giant humble pill over a decade, which feeds into character growth and healing. 良药苦口利于病
Thank you so much for sharing your bar journey, Irene! Gosh... That sounds so brutal. Congratulations on passing the CA Bar and celebrating your one-year lawyering anniversary:)
Bar journey, mine specifically with the NY bar, was a bitter one. Between 2010 and 2012, I had taken it four times and failed them all. I am Michelle Obama x2, and JFK combined. I traveled on that brutal coast-to-coast redeye alone and visited Niagara Falls in humid summer and harsh winter in Buffalo. For the first time in my adult life, I think I was taught that mere repetition doesn't lead to perfection.
Quite brutally, that serial failure had gloomed over my entire 20s. It made me doubt my intellect and feel an incredible sense of shame every time I had to explain "why paralegal after law school."
In hindsight, it wasn't all bad, though. Eventually, I took and passed the CA bar (2 tries) and started working as an attorney. This week I'll hit the one-year mark of lawyering. Only now do I see the benefit of working as a long-term paralegal. It ingrained in me a customer-service approach to everything, which goes a long way in areas of law that address family life (e.g. trust and estates). In addition, the history of bar failures pushed me to be more gritty. I practically swallowed one giant humble pill over a decade, which feeds into character growth and healing. 良药苦口利于病