Why Ferber Bar Review is Different

Most bar reviews shortchange the students who need most to improve their exam writing skills. Writing numerous practice answers won't make much difference if the instruction you receive is inexpert and superficial. What good will writing your second practice answer do if you haven’t truly learned from the mistakes you made writing your first?  And no matter how much substantive law you know, you won't pass the Bar Exam with failing essay and performance test answers.

My emphasis is different. For ten years I graded every California Bar Examination. For another ten, I was a member of the Committee of Bar Examiners and then the State Bar Director for Examinations. After all that, I believe I have the best understanding of what graders are looking for in essay and performance test answers. And I believe that the best way to teach that understanding is to one student at a time.

I start by listening to you.  I dig deeper to find out what you need to do to improve: whether it’s reallocating your time between outlining and writing, tweaking your subject headings, making your statements of law crisper, improving the “application” part of your “IRAC” approach, or even utilizing relaxation techniques to get you through the most stressful moments.   Each of my students receives detailed instruction tailored to his or her individual needs and concerns. We will do whatever it takes to make you better!

I emphasize quality. I tutor in person, via Skype (or other mutually agreeable internet tool) e-mail and telephone. I work hard to establish an easy rapport and a personal relationship of trust and comfort. My written reviews, comments and suggestions are thoughtful and detailed.  You won’t answer a million practice questions with me.  But because rewriting individual answers is critical to improved writing skills, I’ll emphasize pulling every “teachable moment” out of each question before moving on. This is a much better way to learn!

For first-time exam takers without extensive law school writing experience (law review, for example) this type of teaching can mean the difference between passing and repeating the exam, especially if you're also using a conventional bar review course.  For repeaters, particularly those with passing or near passing MBE scores on their previous attempts, individual writing instruction is the very best way to pass the exam.

If you think this approach could work for you, please call or contact me for a free consultation.