How to pass the Michigan Bar Exam (or appeal your score)
Lately, I’ve been photographing a lot of attorneys — helping them make great first impressions on their prospective clients (and reassuring existing clients they made the right choice).
I wanted to highlight one recent client, JD Advising, based in Royal Oak. The founder, Ashley Heidemann, runs both JD Advising and a small law firm, The Heidemann Jabbori Law Firm. JD Advising is actually a test prep organization — helping clients both get into law school and pass the bar.
But that’s not all. It turns out, you can actually appeal a failed bar exam in Michigan. JD Advising is one of the few firms that offer this service.
As each member of the firm came in for their headshots and portraits, I found myself peppering them with questions about their operation. So I wanted to invite the firm on the blog.
Tell us in your words, about the firm, and how you got into the test prep (and bar appeals) business.
Ashley Heidemann (Founder and CEO): I started JD Advising because I felt that a high-quality bar exam course was missing from the bar exam course market. There was (and still is) a great need for a course that teaches you exactly what you need to pass the bar exam. Our course seeks to fill that void. Since we are bar exam experts, it was only natural to also help clients write bar exam appeals. We love helping people pass the bar exam—even if it’s on appeal!
Can you appeal your results in other states or just Michigan?
Meagan Jabbori (Lead Course Instructor and Tutor for JD Advising, Partner at Heidemann Jabbori Law Firm): Most jurisdictions do not allow for bar examination appeals. Instead, many states have regrade systems built into their process where if an examinee fails by a certain number of points, the exam gets regraded automatically, so it seems that most states do not allow them. Therefore, we specialize in writing only Michigan Bar Exam appeals.
Why do you think people fail the bar? Is it lack of prep or nerves or something else?
Meagan Jabbori: Many people suffer from test anxiety and that is definitely an obstacle they have to manage or overcome to be successful. However, we find that on average, the reason most people fail the bar is because they don’t have the law memorized enough. Many people going through bar prep get overwhelmed at the volume of material that they have to sort through, understand and memorize, so it is easy to fall behind. Further, many students don’t realize that they don’t have the law memorized. This is usually due to the fact that they go through the motions of lectures and practicing, which is time consuming, and thus they don’t realize they are neglecting an important piece of the process.
Tell us about your other test prep services
Meagan Jabbori: We offer many different courses and tutoring options. We offer services all the way from prelaw services (application assistance, LSAT test prep, a law school prep course), law school services (tutoring in all law school courses and legal research and writing), and bar exam services for the Michigan Bar Exam, Uniform Bar Exam, and California Bar Exam. We specialize in high quality, personal preparation and have a high success rate. We also work with law schools, including top 10 law schools, and law firms nationwide to help students pass the bar exam.
Can you share a favorite test taking tip for us non attorneys?
Meagan Jabbori: Approach material for an exam in three steps: (1) Try your best to understand the material you are learning. If something doesn’t make sense, get help! (2) Memorize. Most exams people have to take are closed book. This requires the examinee to have the materials memorized. Memorization is a lot of work and time consuming. But remember, repetition is key. Don’t expect to have something memorized after looking it over once. Additionally, it is easier to memorize something you understand (step 1). (3) Practice. Before taking a test it’s always best to try practice questions so that you can get a feel for what the test may expect of you and how well you know the materials.
Isabella Shaya (Editor, Writer, and Coordinator for JD Advising): Figure out how you study best based on your learning style. Some people are visual learners, which means charts and diagrams may be the best way to memorize the material. Auditory learners may benefit from repeating the information out load rather than writing it down. I personally benefit from making up my own mnemonics and repeating them. Figuring out the best study method for you, rather than just doing what everyone else is doing, will help you achieve your goals efficiently!