Fck The Bar: Take Your Place at Counsel Table

by Jessica Klein

If you:
- Feel overwhelmed by the breadth of law tested on the bar exam...
- Think there isn't enough time to get it all done...
- Are unsure whether you should hire a tutor, use a commercial prep company, or self-study...
- Don't know what you should be doing...
- Worry you're not doing enough...
- Want to find the easiest way to pass the bar...
- Have decision fatigue about choosing between all the bar prep companies, workshops, tools, books, cheat sheets, outlines, etc. to choose from...
- Hemorrhage money to buy all things bar prep...
- Never see your family or friends...
- Feel alone in your struggle...
- Think you'll never learn it all...
- Feel like there's never a moment where the weight of the bar exam isn't bearing down on you...
- Have constant anxiety about what hangs in the balance of you passing the bar exam...
- Struggle to juggle bar prep and everything else in life...
- Worry about failing...
- Worry about failing, AGAIN...This is the book I wish someone had written when I was where you are right now. In short, this book is for you.

146 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 9, 2019

Reviews

[Isa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiting to rate this until I know whether or not I passed the bar, lmao

Edit: I passed so it must be good

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

To all future Bar Exam test takers, this book will help you feel confident and prepared in how to approach studying for and taking the Bar Exam! It provides tips and a study schedule for optimizing ACTIVE studying and for topic prioritizing for the Bar Exam.

"But what if I've already paid for a commercial Bar prep course?"

I'm one of those people, and the book addresses this situation as well! As the books suggests, I plan to "cherry pick" most of the recommendations by incorporating them into my Bar prep plan. The book also has a website with free resources that I plan to use. I am feeling much better now in formulizing my study plan, and I hope that anyone else who is taking the Bar and sees this review considers buying this book.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this as a repeat test taker and PASSED! This book is empowering and has some excellent advice. And while I didn't use every tactic recommended, and while i didn't completely forgo the Themis program, the copywriting method boosted my written score over 10 scaled points! A must read for anyone taking the Bar exam :)

[teddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sat down and read this book in one short sitting-- about two hours. I think it offers some interesting methods and plan to intertwine them with my commercial bar prep class. I'll do my best to update this review as those things happen to see which methods felt actually helpful.

This book is currently sitting at around a 3 stars because it is genuinely very encouraging and feels authentic. However, a lot of concepts in here are just concepts. It even contradicts itself at times, all of this is fine. But sadly a lot of things in this book are updated, and that goes for its website as well. Plenty of links are completely broken for test materials and this is unfortunate and not helpful.

[Sara Sonnier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that I’ve passed the bar with a score high enough for any UBE state, I can confidently give this 5 stars!! I read this about a month into studying and implemented tips from this book into my studying, and it was a game changer. I did exceptional on the MEE and MPT sections and this book is a reason for that! This book gave me the right mindset on how to approach writing for the bar and not get overwhelmed. Highly recommend on top of a commercial bar prep (I used Themis)

[Payton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up this book as a first time taker. Great advice in here - will find out in a few months if it worked!

[Sapphira Solstice · Rating 1 out of 5]

2/10
I would absolutely not rely on this as a valid bar prep method. I can see the value in copying model answers, and that doing so enough times would ingrain some of the law, structure and general feel of how essays should be written but one would need to devote the majority of their 10 weeks of bar prep to doing this which leaves little to no time to learn/re-learn the law, practice 1000s of MBEs, practice MPTs, and do considerable rote memorizing of black letter law. All of which are very much necessary. I disagree with Klein that students "remember everything they've learned from their law degrees already".

One major issue is that either Klein has no idea what a big commercial bar prep course is actually like, or such courses have completely changed since she wrote the book. Klein claims that all you do is sit and watch lectures, with minimal practice or active engagement. This is 100% not true, I am taking the Barbri course right now, and within the first week, they had me writing practice essays (self-grading and graded by attorneys), for every 20 minutes of lectures there are practice MBEs to test your knowledge, and there’s a huge variety of engaging activities and support throughout the whole course. Klein also claims that you waste hours travelling to and from a commercial bar prep course. First, I don’t believe many people were travelling “up to 4 hours a day” for this, and second, all courses are digital now, so that argument is now redundant.

Klein condemns flashcard making/reading as a waste of time, but it is no less a waste of time than copying out model answers. Flashcard making is actually a much more active engagement than mindlessly copying.

Regarding MPTs, Klein advises copying model answers as well, which I absolutely don’t think would be helpful. Part of the challenge is consuming all the information in the “library” and understanding what you need to extract. Again, Barbri has you practicing this from week one and gives you more than ten practice MPTs to work through (and grade/have graded). Klein advises using a code to record where you read useful info; there is absolutely no time for this in the 45 minutes. Barbri has a much more robust technique and system for MPTs.

Klein also repeatedly advises using different colored highlighters; this is a pointless practice to get into because in the exam, you can only have a blue and black pen.

I could go on listing big and small pieces of advice that are at best non-sensical and at worst, would completely sabotage a potential bar-taker's chance of passing. I don’t know what world Klein lives in to think this is a solid bar-prep system, and I would recommend no one follow this as their main approach to bar prep.

There are some positives in this book, mostly the motivational talk and encouragement. Also, advice to disconnect socially, look after your body and mental wellbeing, etc., but that is fairly generic and common advice, so no real props there.

“Fuck the Bar” is a great mentality to have but unfortunately, beyond the title this book have little to offer.

[chaptersbydani · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m in the middle of bar prep right now, was experiencing some anxiety, and decided to try this book. And here’s the thing. The age old adage is true, same as it was in law school. There are going to be a lot of people telling you that the only way you can succeed is their way. This book is no different and it’s bullshit.

The first chapter about the bar being just a test and you already know how to study, is the best book of the chapter. Everything after that, not so much.

First, I think Klein fundamentally misunderstands what bar courses are now. She never provided the years she studied for the bar or if/when she passed so there’s no context for her experience. Klein acts as though bar prep companies only ever make you watch lectures and read outlines. That’s not so (at least with my program). I’m regularly finishing over 50 mbe questions a day and at least one essay. Those hard, performance skills she rattles on about are there. And, she’s right, that the NCBE and state bars do provide recently used questions for free if you want more resources.

Secondly, Klein’s formula for success is basically Nike’s “just do it” because you’ve taken the classes before. Which again, overlooks that not everybody took every bar subject in school. There’s no knowledge to dig back up during practice if you have literally 0 exposure to the body of law.

Third, shoving the Klein method down our throats as the only way to be successful specifically negates her premise at the beginning of the book. We know how to study. If we haven’t stumbled across the Klein method before, it’s not likely to be a game changer now.

Overall, this book seems like a desperate money grab. We all want the bar exam to be easy. It would be better if it wasn’t this multi-month monstrosity (that also comes with three years of emotional damage). But the bar isn’t easy. Becoming minimally competent in 10+ subjects so you can sit through 8 hour exam days in a strange location with no access to your notes isn’t easy. If something like the Klein method was as successful as claimed (and yes, I noticed that there is absolutely no date provided to show how successful it is) then it would be screamed from the rooftops.

This book isn’t really about challenging the bar. It’s about some bad feelings Klein has about commercial bar companies.

To any of my fellow bar preppers, present or future, freaking out about the exam: you know how to study. You don’t need this book to offer more noise and stress to if you’re studying “right.”

[JK · Rating 1 out of 5]

Before she introduces her Klein Method ™️, Jessica lays out her underlying argument for her method; here’s a paraphrase:

1. Commercial bar prep is focused on learning; not practice. (Bar preppers sit through lectures and read outlines; the focus is not taking practice exams)
2. However, the bar tests specific tasks: essay writing, MBE, performance test
3. So, taking practice exams (direct learning) is better than reading outlines/ being lectured (indirect learning)

To put it even more succinctly, she says, “Nothing matters but [Bar exam] performance.” That means it doesn’t matter how much one knows, nor how much time one spent preparing. Bar examiners only grade examinees on how well they perform on the 3 bar tasks. Nothing matters but performance.

The book is titled “Fck the bar,” but Jessica spends a page or two fawning over the bar exam. Jessica Klein states no grievances with the bar exam, the attorney licensing process, or the organization that governs lawyers. So, what the book should be called is “Fuck big, commercial bar prep.” But I guess that isn’t as pithy.

(Now, I’m only a 3L who is a year out from taking the Feb 2023 bar. I have not started bar prep, and I am largely ignorant of what it entails. But something tells me that the big names in commercial bar prep do not say, “only watch lectures and read our outlines. Whatever you do, do not take practice exams when you are not sitting in a lecture.”)

I don’t think Jessica Klein is the first person to be critical of bar prep pedagogy. What is novel is her “Klein Method ™️.” It is pretty simple to explain: find model answers that your jurisdiction has published; copy them. “No, I’m not talking about emulating them or modeling your answer after them. I mean to literally copy them. Word for word. Over and over again”

While there’s a little more nuance to the Klein Method ™️, that’s basically it. (Stage 1 is just copying – nothing else. Stages 2 and 3 involve writing your own essay in addition to copying. And at the final stage 4, one writes their own essay and merely compares it to the model [not copying] the state bar’s model answer.

Jessica believes that if one spends 320 hours on the Klein Method ™️ they’ll pass the bar. However, I don’t recall her stating the pass rate or the number of people who have passed using Klein Method ™️.

Conversely, the commercial bar prep company, Barbri, boasts, “…about 90% of our students who do the average amount of prep pass the bar exam. Don’t take our word for it, though. Ask the 1.3 million lawyers, judges and legal professionals who have passed, The BARBRI Way.” https://www.barbri.com/bar-review-cou...

Sure, you could be the 1 in 10 who take the big bar review and still fail the bar. But I think it would be crazy to just go along with someone’s alternative method when they haven’t published a better success rate… or any information at all on the success rate of their program.

---

Outside of the Klein Method ™️, the content of the book couldn't be more generic:

1. Do MBEs
(Especially what she refers to as the “620 authentic NCBE, real, and updated” ones. But the book doesn’t say where to find those. But my best guess is this: https://store.ncbex.org/the-mbe-bar-e... )

2. And then there’s a chapter dedicated to lifestyle. Here are the subheadings:
Eat Better; Sleep Better; [Take] Personal Time; Exercise; “It is extremely important to maintain at least one relationship that nourishes you.” [Have a good] Mental Attitude

--

The Klein Method ™️ is ludicrous, but the testimonials on her website make it clear that this is not a scam [or at least not anymore of a scam than law school or any other commercial bar prep]. You can scroll endlessly through the testimonials here: https://www.counseltable.com/ftb.html . (The CT tab has even more quantity and more effusive testimonials, but I think that is a personal coaching bar prep separate from “Fck the Bar”.)

People genuinely credit Jessica and the Klein Method ™️ as the reason they passed the bar. Many are repeat takers (who I assume used a commercial bar prep on their previous attempts to no avail).

I am happy that those people passed the bar, and I don’t question that Jessica and her Klein Method ™️ played a critical role in their success. But if 9/10 people pass the bar after taking a big bar prep company’s review… It just seems like bad advice to say “fuck them.”

--

I do think Jessica has two good points:

1. Start practicing essays and performance tests from the start of your bar prep.
You will always feel like you aren’t ready. Your first practice will be garbage, and it won’t be any less garbage the longer you wait.

2. Compare your essays and performance tests against the model answer in your jurisdiction.
Critically analyze it. Spend a lot of time comparing the two. Don’t go easy on yourself. But I think one can do an in depth analysis without spending over 200 hours merely copying them.

[Keke Cruickshank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book especially to bar retakers. There were a lot of empowering words and great ideas for studying. The quote below from the book stuck with me. To anyone retaking this exam, it doesn’t define your capabilities.


“
So you failed the bar exam a bunch of times. Again I say, so what? The reason I say "so what?" is not to be flippant. I promise. In fact, not only do I feel for you, I understand what it feels like to fail. To have that heaviness like a boulder dropping in the pit of your stomach. The disbelief when you read the computer screen. Wondering how you're supposed to announce your defeat to everyone in your life in a way that makes it less awkward for them. Realizing that although you tried to prepare yourself for the possibility you might fail so as to draw the sting, it made no difference at all because it still feels so shameful and painful. Deep down you were really hoping and expecting to see your name on the pass list.”

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent read.

As someone who has had an awful experience going through law school reading this was truly a breath of fresh air. I won't sit for the bar exam until July, but I will definitely implement some (if not all) of the Klein Method into my bar prep.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting and thought it had some really good tips in it

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

i enjoyed this book a lot. cannot wait to implement the Klein Method and take my seat at the counsel table

[Ekene Chuks-Okeke · Rating 5 out of 5]

yet to take the bar but

I haven’t started studying for the bar yet but Jessica’s strategies make sense! I’ll need to do another review proper after the bar.

[Jasmine Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of the book is interesting and may work for some. I ended up going the traditional route.

[Kelly Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

jessica i am trying dawg
damn gonna copy these MEEs and see where it takes meEE can u take me 2 the finish line
i just wanna go HooMEE

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, unfortunately, failed my first attempt at the bar exam by 21 points and went through Reddit looking for some free supplemental resources that I can use to study this second time around since the first time I studied didn't work in my favor. I was sent this book from a fellow Reddit-er and I am so grateful to her for it.

This book has completely opened my eyes to the mistakes I made the first time around, which #1 was enrolling a professional bar prep program. Why would I continue to sit and watch lectures and continuously stare at outlines hoping that all of the law I need to know will just magically sink into my brain? Well, guess what, it didn't work and this time around, I will be including all of Klein's suggestions into a personalized study plan (which she includes in the book).

First step, starting with a positive mindset and believing in myself and knowing that I will be passing it when I take it in July. Can't wait to update y'all on my success!

[Samuel Saul Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I initially read this last August and thought that the ideas and strategies presented in it were great, and I still agree with that. I figured that this book would be very helpful to re-read now, as I'm 2 weeks away from beginning formal bar-prep.

As it turns out, Goodreads only let's you save 1 review for a book regardless of how many times you re-read it.

[Nicole Arter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed learning a new method of study preparation that is a little unconventional.