Florida bar results for the July 2011 exam

Well, looks like the results for the previous exam have been out for a couple of weeks.  The data shown was for only first time takers, and the passing rate was good, 80% of 2,890 first timers passed the test.  It seems to be similar to California bar exam passing rates.  Looking at published results, released by the Supreme Court of Florida, Florida International University and University of Florida graduates had the best passing rates, at 89.6% and 89.1% respectively.  If you are currently attending Ave Maria School of Law, you might want to reconsider your law school choice: only 47.8% passed, which is rather dismal, although to be fair, their total number of exam takers was only 23.  For out of state graduates (like me), the passing rate was 75%.

The results are only for first time bar exam takers.  Traditionally, if you haven't passed the bar on your first try, your chances during the subsequent exams are much lower.  Usually, the aggregate passing rate is about 70%, with a specially bad year in California being the 2004 exam with only a 56% passing rate.  Hopefully when I take the bar exam this February, it won't be similar to the 2009 February exam, which saw whopping 30% year to year pass rates for University of Miami exam takers, 24% drop for UF graduates, and 20% drop for Florida State University alums.  Looks like that year some of the essay questions were on topics that are not usually tested.

Musings on Contract law

I decided to press ahead on my reading during the daytime and make flashcards in the evenings, so I'm on to the next topic, contract law.  I prefer contracts - it is more relevant to my background in business - but I realize that here, again, I've forgotten so much material.  Mailbox rule, battle of the forms, parol evidence rule...on top of that, differences between common law and Art. 2 of the UCC, first and second restatements.  Good times.

I'm not yet in desperation mode, but I have a feeling that as I move into property, torts, etc., the full extent of what I have ahead of me will hit me.  Of course, once bar review begins, I think the day to day nature of it will smooth my jitters.

On an aside, I went to another Barnes and Noble today, and this is one is a lot bigger than my usual hangout.  It has two stories, and best of all, it has those larger tables I had been reminiscing on a previous post.  It is far from home, however, so it will not be my primary study location, but it is nice to have an alternative.

We're not in LA anymore - 2nd in a series

I didn't plan to write a second part to this particular series so quickly.  However, yesterday we had a "visitor" in our home that requires a post: there was a huge American cockroach in my bedroom yesterday night, which was promptly dispatched.

One thing that I find disturbing in Florida is the abundance of insect and lizard life.  In LA, I don't think we had more than a couple of roaches in more than 15 years of married life.  The very first night in Florida, I think I saw about three of these evil insects in a relative's home we were staying for a couple of days.  After we moved to our townhouse, we cleaned everywhere before the movers brought our stuff.   Since then, we had almost weekly encounters with the little creatures.  We tried spraying pesticide outside, put traps inside, and finally relented and hired an exterminator.  Still the little things appear, although now with much less frequency.

We're not in LA anymore - first in a series.

Our country has gone through a long and slow phase of homogenization.  Doesn't matter where you are in this great land of ours, you will inevitably run into a McDonald's, Burger King, Denny's, and other fast food joints.  Then we started having national chains of clothing stores, such as The Gap, The Limited, Victoria's Secret, and the like.  We also have national department stores, such as the now waning Sears, Target, Bloomingdale's, and K-Mart.  I still remember when Bloomingdale's made their entry into California, and everyone was a buzz.  After all, Angelenos are only truly jealous of New Yorkers, and now we had their department store, too.

However, in many ways, things are different as well.  Walking down the grocery stores, I see varieties of food that reflect more of the local flavor, such as Cuban, English, and Caribbean items, as well as more variety of pork, sweet tea sold by the gallon, and the like.  Most supermarkets don't sell hard liquor because Florida law requires a separate liquor store for distilled beverages (so if a supermarket wants to sell spirits, it needs a "store within a store" thing).

They ID you before you can get in the bar

I don't know if I have purposefully blocked out all memories of my previous bar exam, but I don't recall having to be fingerprinted before taking the exam.  I can understand having to show identification, because otherwise, I'm sure there would be a travelling troupe of bar exam takers that would sit in for the exam for you for a nominal (or expensive) fee.  The Board of Bar Examiners wants to be sure that you are who you claim you are.

But going as far as gathering your fingerprints sounds a bit too...suspicious?  Are they going to run my prints against a large database from the FBI, CIA, NSA, DHS, DMV, ad infinitum?  They already did ask me tons of private questions regarding my background and past criminal activity.  I guess no one wants to take a lawyer at his word.

Driving impressions and making it go faster

As I mentioned earlier, I have a new car, only two months now.  It is a Volkswagen GTI, a nice, slick four door hatchback (so technically called a five-door, but they also make a three door version).  Volkswagens are nice, predictable, and well put together German cars.  They don't have the same "ooooh" appeal as a BMW or a Mercedes Benz, neither the sleek look of the Audi, which is also part of the VW family of cars, which includes Bugatti and Bentley.

Original GTI Mark I

Off the dealer lot, the car is quick, handles nicely, and looks, in a sense, timeless.  The basic look of the current model, called the Mark VI, is nicely reminiscent of the original Mark I, introduced, according to the all-knowing Wikipedia, in 1974.  The current incarnation is about three years old now, and retains a playfulness and fun-loving attitude that seems to have been lost in most modern vehicles.

Animal Kingdom

This Friday I took my son on a field trip to Animal Kingdom which his school sponsored.  First time in an Orlando area amusement park, and I must say, I'm impressed.  I have been to Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios Hollywood, etc., so I have a frame of reference, and Disney has really done a nice job with their Animal Kingdom park.

For starters, the place is huge, has many rides as well as places where one can see animals.  Their "safari" is particularly interesting, as well as the walk one can do in the area around it and see the gorillas, birds, and other animals.  The park also has some well done live action shows, of which we saw two: the Lion King show and the Finding Nemo show.  The Lion King show is a circus type show, with acrobats, singers, a rope artist a la Cirque du Soleil, as well as dancers and large animatronic puppets of Simba and other characters.

Finding Nemo is a stage version of the movie, abridged, of course, but still seemed to run a good 30 minutes.  The way they present the characters on stage is particularly clever.  Actors hold large puppets of the various fish, sharks, turtles and others above or in front of themselves, and move the mouth and eyes with little hand levers.  The action is mesmerizing, and soon you lose track of the person and fix on the puppet.  Truly enthralling, and the scene with the turtle is amazing.