Dear Paul:

January 20, 2007 In order to prepare for the February 2000 bar, my friend and I dove from San Diego to take your class in Orange County every week. We had both been subject to the message that "'this name' does not appear on the list of those who passed" the July 1999 bar.

I passed the multi-state, but failed on the essays (allegedly) by 3 points. All through the 1999 summer BarBri course I KNEW I wasn't writing in a lawyerly fashion. I kept talking to the reps there in San Diego, asking abut getting more instruction and specifics in the craft of writing essay answers to bar questions. I was repeatedly told, just do all the homework (I did) and you'll be fine. But if you don't pass, you can take this $2500 essay writing class in the winter. Right.

I can't even express how helpful your class was, along with the encouragement you gave. Having instant feedback in class, as well as detailed explanations of how I could improve on the homework I turned in was invaluable.

Doing the short answers gave me a way to address minor issues and show I recognized them. Your time management system for studying bar subjects gave me a framework that I couldn't create myself.

Here's what I'd like to say to your current and future students: WORK THE PROGRAM!!! One of the best things about it is that you get off the dime and start writing, instead of thinking, instead of procrastinating by doing 25 more multi-state questions.

Paul, I passed the February 2000 California bar and was sworn in June 6, 2000. Determined to get into court and to help people, I went to Kentucky to work in Legal Services, studied using your methods once again, and passed the July 2002 Kentucky bar. After doing my time in ... Kentucky, I came back to ... Nevada. I was just sworn on Thursday, January 18, 2007. I called you before both the Kentucky and the Nevada bars, got my encouragement, got out my Cal Bar Tutorial Review study materials, worked my butt off, and passed! (You still have to work your butt off because every state tests on subjects not in the CA bar).

I've told my friends that I am going to have a book burning to rid myself of the ridiculous habit of moving to states with no reciprocity and taking state bar exams repeatedly. But I really don't think I can put your materials in the flames! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the feedback, the specific corrections, the system, the inspiration you gave me.

I have worked in Child Support, Legal Services, and as a public defender. I am now working in a private firm where I do criminal and family law, both of which I love. Please feel free to share this letter, any part of it, or my email address with your students or potential students. I had to do the work, but you have me the framework to understand how it should be done.

Sincerely,

Janet C. Kelleran, Esq.

P.S. FYI, if you know anyone who's taking it, the Nevada bar has hour-long essays, but they are like giant race-horse questions. You don't have to get into depth like you do in CA. They have a billion issues in them! Also, the performance tests are only 1.5 hours long, so you really have to practice in that mode in order to finish and not take too much time. They make you take the MPRE again if you haven't taken it within 3 years. That's why it took me so long to get sworn in. I didn't think I'd ever have to take it again unless I was being disciplined!