Episode 4. Bar Exam With Liz Gil
Manage episode 372266235 series 3490523
In honor of bar exam week, bar exam abolitionist Liz Gil gets real with Kate and Josey about the inequities of the exam, and the "breathtaking pushback" she experienced when advocating for change during the 2020 Barpocalypse. Liz, Kate, and Josey attempt to unpack why already licensed attorneys are so determined to keep the bar exam in place: Is it burnout and bitterness from a highly stressful exam that scarred them, a desire to keep the profession exclusive, or something else altogether?
Josey also shares her experience of taking the LSAT in D.C. during the insurrection, and how a lack of flexibility from the exam board crushed her hopes of attending law school, despite 5 years of experience in firms.
Finally, Kate expresses something she needed to hear when she was studying for the bar: You might fail it, and that's okay.
This is a no-holds-barred (pun intended) conversation about the realities of a notoriously ineffective exam that was designed for exclusion.
If you're taking the bar this week, we wish you nothing but luck! Please take care of yourselves as radically as possible during and after the exam.
For future exam takers, Liz also provided a Notion page where she's collected study materials and outlines from a bunch of different sources to help folks prep for the bar. You can find it pinned on her Twitter (or is it "X" now?) profile, as well as right here: https://www.notion.so/cf1a257d9dc94cd3914c991dc88ff926?v=4ce1c051a93147cb912765180604e923
Finally, we'll be off next week, August 2, 2023. We'll be back August 9 with the hilarious Matt Margolis, well-known content creator and Head of Legal and Community at Lawtrades.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests, and not necessarily those of their employers.
If you have a story of burnout you'd like to share, send it to stories@thelegalburnouts.com.
If you're interested in booking Rhia and/or Kate to speak at your company, firm, or conference, send an email to kate@thelegalburnouts.com.
Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok for clips, outtakes, and updates!
28 episodes