Introduction Journey to Esquire (JTE) is about providing solid information for not only our students but our audience as well. We want to update and educate you on the current changes in the legal field. At times, those changes will have a direct impact on one aspect of the legal philanthropic work Journey to Esquire operates in, like bar prep. Bar exam prep is crucial. In this article, we will explore the conversation behind the NextGen bar exam. The first step of bar prep is understanding the bar exam itself. This process includes substantive topics (topics, types of questions, skills needed to pass) and the procedural preparation (length of study, test location, study schedule, testing day security) of bar prep. Substantial Changes Beginning in 2026, there will be a significant change in the way bar takers are tested on “gameday.” According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, the new next generation bar exam (NexGen Bar) will mimic the practical skills of day-to-day lawyering. The way bar examinees are tested on their big day will change. According to the U.S. News World Reports, in the NextGen Bar, test-takers will be given scenarios that have elements of different knowledge areas and skills. Multiple-choice, short-answer and essay questions are then tied to those scenarios. How does this differ from the previous bar exam structure? The current Multistate Bar Exam, Multistate Essay Exam, and the Multistate Performance Test are three testing sections consisting of 200 multiple-choice, essay and performance questions. The bar exam is typically a two-day exam that is administered subject to the procedural rules of the jurisdiction in which the bar examinee sits. The bar exam has been administered in this particular way throughout the United States for the past few decades. States Embracing Change Seven states have already communicated their intentions to use the NextGen Bar Exam. Maryland, Missouri, and Oregon will administer the NextGen Bar Exam in July 2026; Arizona, Iowa, and Wyoming will administer it in July 2027; and Connecticut will administer the exam at a date to be determined. If states choose not to use the NextGen Bar Exam, they can develop their own bar exam or alternative method of measuring competence prior to licensure. The NCBE has published their content scope outline of what the Next Gen Bar Exam will look like. The content scope document outlines the breadth of material to be covered in the areas of legal knowledge and categories of practical skills and abilities that will be tested on the NextGen bar exam. Foundational concepts and principles like civil procedure, contract law, evidence, torts, business associations, constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, and real property will be tested. Starting in July 2028, family law will be included in the foundational concepts and principles tested on the NextGen Bar Exam. Foundational lawyering skills tested will include: legal research, legal writing, issue spotting and analysis, investigation and evaluation, client counseling and advising, negotiation and dispute resolution, client relationship and management. Conclusion The NextGen Bar exam represents a significant evolution in legal education and assessment. By integrating practical skills and scenario-based questions, this innovative approach seeks to better align testing with the demands of modern legal practice. While challenges may arise during the transition, proactive preparation and support from educational programs will empower aspiring lawyers to succeed in this new era of bar examination. As we embark on this journey towards the NextGen Bar exam, let us embrace change and uphold the integrity of the legal profession. Here, at Journey to Esquire, our program will prepare its students for the changes that are to come. We look forward to keeping our community and support updated, as we prepare future JTE students to excel on the NextGen Bar Exam. Written By:
Rashaad Perry-Patterson
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Do it, Delegate it, or Delete it! Three Steps to Declutter Your Life as a Law Student or Lawyer1/9/2024 As we enter a new semester, Journey to Esquire would like to introduce our current and incoming students to the idea of: Do it, Delegate it, Delete it. These are three steps to decluttering your life as a law student. Step 1: Do it, Create a plan Often times, law school students forget about the power of creating a plan. This applies to your study schedule, meal prepping, when (if) you have to work outside of your studies. Creating a plan allow you to lower the amount of anxiety of balancing law school and life, while staying organized from week to week. Plans are as good as those who create them. Step 2: Delegate it Put your life in a calendar. Whether that’s through electronic calendars (i.e. google) or physical calendars, delegate the responsibility of remembering your day to day tasks to your calendars. Seems simple, but this is the first step to submitting to the fact, you cannot remember everything. Life is coming at you fast, studying takes up a lot of your time, and there will be constant deadlines. Also, if you cannot complete daily, weekly tasks, lean on your support system. As we know, life happens. This is why delegating things to your colleagues, family, people you work with can help you. You are not a one woman, one man show. Take some things off of your plate. Step 3: Delete it Stick to your plan, stick to your goals for the semester. If it is not apart of your goal for the semester get rid of it. It can be people, distractions, unhealthy diet, too much tv, bad ways of studying, anything. Separate from those who don’t support your plan. Get rid of non healthy habits that you know are detrimental to your physical, mental and academic success. Here at Journey to Esquire, we want you to be great. We want this semester to be better than the last. Utilize these three steps and watch how your life becomes more organized. We believe in you! Written By:
Rashaad Perry-Patterson Journey to Esquire’s Ambassador for the 2023 academic year. “Prejudice wears a variety of hats, none of them becoming.” Kevin Ansbro In a world that is gradually prioritizing fairness and acceptance, it’s easy for most people to convince themselves that they are paragons of virtue and impartiality.
Unfortunately, this lofty vision of themselves rarely matches reality. We all carry some degree of prejudice against other people, a prejudice that affects how we treat the people around us. By nature, prejudice is so deeply buried in our psyche that we hardly notice how it affects our behavior. One of the most powerful displays of bias is our refusal to associate with other people because they are different in some way. This difference could be because of their mental abilities, physical form, sexual orientation, class background, or race. What inclusion is really about Inclusion is not just about accepting a student to a learning institution or hiring them in an organization; it goes far deeper. Inclusion is about making people feel welcome in a group setting and giving them a sense of belonging. Inclusion means truly incorporating someone in the social setting and giving them a place and a voice that carries weight in the group. Inclusion is about showing appreciation and acceptance of individual differences and learning how to take advantage of these differences for the benefit of society. Critics of the concept of inclusion have attempted to paint the idea negatively by claiming it negatively impacts organizational productivity. This fallacy lies at the heart of why the concept has remained not as fully adopted as much as it should be. Therefore, it is necessary to offer a response to this before moving any further. First, inclusion does not create inefficacy; it has the exact opposite effect. Inclusion allows groups and organizations to hear different and unique points of view that they would have otherwise ignored. Secondly, fostering inclusion and acceptance in an organization helps motivate people to offer their best performance because they feel like they have a stake in the group. It’s important to note that high intelligence does not guarantee you will understand the importance of inclusion. Lawyers and law students consider themselves to be—and actually are—pretty smart people. And yet, this does not prevent them from falling into the trap of bias. This bias is first observable in law school in how students treat other students who are different. A 2020 study by the American Bar Association found that 23% of black law students felt that their schools did “very little” to foster or support an inclusive environment.[1] Many students also felt that their environment treated them differently based on gender, religion, and sexual orientation. Prejudice impacts whether students who are different will be invited to study groups, whether they will receive peer advocacy and whether they will make friends. What started in law school eventually translates into behavior in law firms. People who are different are not hired; even if they are hired, no effort is made to help them feel at home. This eventually affects the kinds of clients and cases lawyers are willing to take. Inclusion in firms isn’t just about how lawyers treat their coworkers; it’s also about how they treat their clients or potential clients. Lawyers should show fairness in how they treat their clients regardless of race, gender, orientation, or class. Here are some steps to take to improve inclusivity in law schools and in the workplace: Communicate [1] "Blog - LSSSE." https://lssse.indiana.edu/?m=202012&cat=80. Accessed 7 Oct. 2022. To understand that inclusion is important, people must first become aware of it. Talking to people is the first and most important step toward promoting greater inclusivity. #: Establish a culture We are what we do regularly, not what we do sporadically. Establishing a culture is about fostering patterns of behavior geared towards encouraging a way of thinking and behaving. #: Work with bar associations National, state, and local bar associations have programs designed to foster a culture of inclusivity in the wider legal community, including encouraging lawyers who are different to speak at events and providing financial support to unique programs. |
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AuthorJoseline J. Hardrick is the Founder and President of Diversity Access Pipeline, Inc. She is also an author, professor, and lawyer and resides in Tampa Bay, Florida. Guest bloggers are students in the Journey to Esquire® Scholarship & Leadership Program. Archives
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