You're a heart-breacher

I've been going through the PMBR flashcards at work because work is boring and the flashcards are a lot less obvious than a big book... So I'm on contracts today and I find it funny that one of the contract types subject to the Statute of Frauds, is a marriage contract- specifically where a person promises consideration to another for the latter's promise to marry the former. Now, I remember reading a few cases in Family Law where people sued for broken engagements and what not and understand that a lot of common law is quite arcane, but what makes me laugh here is how hard PMBR tried to apply this rule to a modern situation in their example:

"A orally promised to give 1,000 shares of IBM stock to B, if she would marry him. B accepted A's offer. If A subsequently changed his mind and declined to marry B, A's promise to deliver the sotck would not be enforceable under the Statute of Frauds."

Seriously, was IBM stock really around in the days when these types of contracts were actually sued upon? SERIOUSLY?!?

Book Report

So I finished Mary Campbell Gallagher's book: "Scoring High on Bar Exam Essays".

Overall, I would give the book a B+. I definitely like her basic method of how to write an essay- she makes it sound so simple. One paragraph per applicable rule, each paragraph follows the same "Under, Here, Therefore" structure. It was a great overview of what to expect for essays before I have even reviewed any of the substantive material.

I only have a couple complaints... first is that Ms. Gallagher teaches classes for the NY bar and definitely shows a bias towards NY essays and a few other states. Of the 85 or so practice essays in the book, only a few of them were CA questions. But I guess I'll figure out how useful they are once I get more into the material. My second complaint is that it was a bit pricy ($49.95) for what you get.

Now on to learning wills & trusts (which I never took in law school) until my other books get here...

Two weeks to kill

After re-reading the memo that outlines requirements for the full-time externship I'm doing this semester, I realized I had miscalculated my end date. I am actually done on April 27th rather than May 11th as I originally thought. PMBR 6-day starts on May 14th and then my graduation is on May 19th, followed by BarBri on May 23rd. So you can see how the end date of May 11th really would have sucked. But alas, I have two whole weeks to kill between the end of my externship and the start of bar prep. Whatever shall I do... spend the two weeks listening to my PMBR lecture CDs? That might be a good idea. Better yet, maybe I'll listen to them in the car on my way to Vegas...

Welcome Friends

So today, I alerted my myspace friends to the existence of this blog. So far, I've just been talking to myself, so it should be nice to get some readers. And as such, I thought I'd welcome all you readers with the blog that really motivated me to write this one. I thought about trying to say it myself, but she says it better: What's the Big Deal?

Welcome and thanks for reading.

10.05 pounds

My first package of prep materials from PMBR arrived on Thursday- 29 lecture CDs, 427 flashcards, and a GINORMOUS red book. The second book will be shipped separately. Of course, these are only the materials for PMBR- a 6 day and 3 day course which represent roughly 12% of my bar preparation classes. The UPS tracking website said this package of materials weighed 10.05 pounds. As my smart friend, Cutter, pointed out- the average human brain is only 8 pounds. This presents a problem.

The letter from PMBR included in the package says I should start listening to the CDs immediately. I am taking the advice of A Girl Walked Into A Bar (Exam) and planning on transferring the CDs to an mp3 player so I can listen to them anywhere. Since I am the seemingly the only person on the planet without an Ipod, I have used my Lexis Nexis research points to order a decent mp3 player. So, as soon as that comes in I'll start listening to the lectures. But I must admit, the box of CDs is making me feel guilty... maybe I should start sooner.

Other than that, I am still reading Mary Campbell Gallagher's book on writing essays. Her name makes me laugh everytime I look at the book, because it sounds like Mary Katherine Gallagher- Superstar! And then I feel like maybe it's her talking to me, telling me how to write bar exam essays like a superstar.

Still waiting for the new edition of John Talamo's book on MBEs to ship when it comes out on March 20th, and I've ordered 'Pass the Bar'- supposedly good as an intro to bar prep. Stupid Amazon sending out those emails... "If you liked this, you'll love this." For the time being, I have banned myself from Amazon.com. But for now, this should be a dangerous trio.

Preparing for Prison

So now that I have as much squared away as I can for the bar exam (registered for the exam, reserved a hotel room, signed up for classes, bought extra books, etc. etc.), I'm starting to make lists of things I want to do before bar prep really starts.... non-law related books I want to read, planning my post-bar vacation, doctor's appointments, dentist's appointments, etc. And it occurred to me that it feels a little like what it must feel like to prepare for prison. I'm starting to think that's a pretty fitting analogy.

Check!

BAR TO DO LIST:

• Sign up for Bar/Bri- CHECK

• Sign up for PMBR- CHECK

• Reserve hotel room for bar exam- CHECK

• REGISTER FOR THE BAR EXAM- CHECK, CHECK!
  

Now I just have to pass the damn thing. The application process was surprisingly painless... except for the nearly $700 that disappeared from my bank account...