[美国&加拿大] UMN LLM 第一次考Bar通过的一位学生经验分享 [复制链接]

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发表于 2017-1-16 20:59:39 |只看该作者 |倒序浏览

本人于2016年5月份获得美国明尼苏达大学法学院法学硕士学位（“LL.M.”）并且通过了2016年7月的纽约州律师资格考试。此文旨在回顾本人的考Bar准备过程并且期望能给现在和今后准备参加该考试的LL.M.学生提供一些有用的信息。

简介：
自2016年7月起，纽约州开始采纳“统一律师资格考试” （“UBE”）。需要注意的是UBE只测试各州普遍适用的一些法律原则。专门针对纽约州州法的考试（“NYLE”）将会单独进行。因为NYLE是开卷考试并且可以在参加完UBE之后再考，故而本文只讨论如何准备UBE。
UBE考两天，通常在7月和2月份进行。它包括下述部分组成：
1. 多州律师资格考试（“MBE”）（上午和下午各3小时须分别完成100道单选题）；
2. 6篇essay（3小时内完成）；以及
3. 2篇多州应用测试题目（“MPT”）（ 3小时内完成）。
三个部分中，MBE占了一半的分数，并且尤其对于LL.M.学生来说会是最重要的一个部分，因为LL.M.学生和J.D.学生相比很难从essay中获得更多的分数。MBE将考核7门法律：宪法、合同法、证据法、民事诉讼、刑法和刑事诉讼、财产法和侵权法。
每篇essay问题都会考察一门具体的法律。具体来说会给你提供一个案件事实，结尾是几个问题需要通过essay来进行回答。考察的部门法律涵盖MBE的7门法律以及6到7门其他法律。
而MPT测试更像是现实生活中的任务但却是根据提供的有限材料来进行回答。你会拿到一份“文档”（主要是案件事实与要求）和“资料”（主要是判例法与法规）。你需要做的是根据“文档”的要求撰写一份相应的法律文件（如备忘录、动议、函件等）并且只可以引用“资料”中的法律法规。题目中的法域与立法都是虚拟的，但你需要在MPT测试中展现现实生活中所需的法律论证与写作能力。
对于LL.M.考生的挑战：
作为一名LL.M.学生，UBE的真正挑战在于有限的准备时间和知识储备。各位可能注意到纽约州UBE初次考试通过率一般会超过80%，但是必须认识到这是一个涵盖J.D.和LL.M.学生的总体通过率。一些统计数据表明LL.M.学生初次通过率一般会降至40%左右。
原因是什么？我认为主要的原因包括：
1. UBE对于J.D.和LL.M.学生是一个公平的舞台，LL.M.学生无法像平时在法学院考试那样获得额外的考试时间；
2. J.D.学生在三年的学习生活中一般已经学习过了全部或者大部分的UBE考试科目，因此对于他们来说只需要对部分科目重拾记忆就好；
3. 相比之下，LL.M.学生一般很难在10个月的学习期间里学完所有的七门MBE科目，更不用说essay考试中会考到的其他额外科目。
准备贴士：
那LL.M.学生需要怎么做来通过UBE呢？我认为接下来的一些建议也许对于通过UBE会有帮助：
1. 选择UBE科目的课程：
总是会有同学问LL.M.学生在这10个月的项目中应该选择什么课程。我觉得如果你以考Bar为核心，建议你选课时把UBE考核的科目放在首位，其中MBE的科目是重中之重。但是一个LL.M.学生几乎不可能在两个学期中学完全部的MBE科目（并且法学院的课程设置中刑法与刑事诉讼一般又是分开的两门课程）。我的建议是选择“合同法、证据法、财产法和刑事诉讼”。原因是这些部门法都会涉及大量美国法律独特的规则和例外情况，选择这些相关课程后可以用一整个学期的时间来消化和理解。否则，如果等到LL.M.毕业后的两个月全职复习中来理解和记忆这些内容，则难度非常大。
对于“侵权法或刑法”，可以选择其中一门。两门法律之间存在很多类似的原则，学习其中一门可以帮助很好地理解另外一门。
对于“宪法”，不得不承认这是一门对我来说非常难的学科。因为其涉及很多抽象的概念并且与日常生活相关度不大。但是律师资格考试只会考察其中一些主要的不变的规则，这一点不同于法学院教学中的情况。因此简单说来，如果你没有其他更好的方法，准备宪法只需要记住复习材料中所有关键的内容即可。
“民事诉讼”对于一年级J.D.学生来说都是一门很难的课程。因为它会涉及很多程序上的规定以及陌生的概念。但是相关考Bar复习课程对于考试内容会进行很好的组织归纳并且会以一种可以接受的进度来引导你掌握。
对于其他会在essay中考到的科目，如：公司法、合伙企业法、代理关系、信托与遗嘱、婚姻家庭法、担保物交易等，你不可能在两个学期中学完所有的内容。你可以选择通常很受学生欢迎的BA课程，其会涵盖公司法、合伙企业法和代理关系这三部分。而其他科目则可以在复习过程中进行学习。
最后，一定要上法律写作课程（并非仅仅基于获得考Bar资格的目的），同时有条件的情况下最好两个学期都上，因为法律写作没有捷径，只能通过不断的练习来获得进步。最终，你会在应对essay和MPT问题时体会到法律写作课的作用。
2. 报名考试复习课程：
这当然并不意味着你必须报名BarBri或者其他培训机构的课程才能通过UBE。但是如果你对于律师资格考试的内容了解很少或者不知道该如何有效准备考试，则在最后两个月的时间里面报名参加复习课程会是一个简单的复习手段。我报名参加了BarBri的课程，在此想强调一下报名之后你还应该做些什么。
第一，BarBri有现场和远程两种课程，课程内容基本一样。我参加了现场课程并且强烈推荐。现场课程一般早上八点开始，这样可以促使你早上按时起床。同时，我发现比起观看远程课程的录像，在现场听课思想可以更为集中。另外，上课的老师在课间也可以回答我的问题。
第二，BarBri会制定一个最后两个月的课程安排，其中会涵盖UBE考试的所有内容。每天课程后都会有相应的作业需要完成并且周末也会布置作业。在你的BarBri账户中可以看到一条进度条，其中会显示你完成了多少以及同样课程中其他学生平均完成了多少。你会需要每天花上至少10个小时来听课程、完成每天的作业并且进行复习。实话实说，要按时完成BarBri的进度并非易事，但你需要尽可能地接近它从而使你参加UBE时拥有良好的感觉。
在BarBri网站上有个提交问题的窗口，你可以提出在复习中碰到的问题，会有BarBri的讲师在短时间内回复你。你可以进一步追问直到弄懂为止。这点对于我非常有帮助，且BarBri没有额外的收费。
3. 关注重要知识点：
由于复习时间短内容多，没有人可以真正理解UBE的全部考点。但是，我们需要做的只是关注重要知识点，并且设法记住它们直到考试结束。如果你报名参加BarBri课程，识别重要知识点非常简单。你会收到一本outline笔记，其中的空格需要你在听课时自行填入。这本书上所有的内容都可以视为重要知识点，主要是关于每个部门法的基本概念和一些常规考点，需要你花大量时间去阅读、理解和记忆。你可以自行做笔记、添加书签并且使用记号笔来帮助自己记忆。
你同时也会从BarBri收到一大叠其他复习材料。不要被它们吓晕。你不需要阅读这些书中每一个细节部分，而只需要根据BarBri的进度安排使用它们即可。BarBri的进度安排会告诉你什么时候要使用哪本书。
4. 多训练做题：
这并不意味着选择题做得越多越好，相反这是一个错误的方法。你需要做的只是跟着BarBri的进度安排走即可。BarBri每天都会布置足够多的选择题和essay供你练习。当学完一门部门法后，做这些练习也是检测你学习效果的一个途径。而阅读选择题的答案解析同样十分有帮助，可以看作是学习过程的一部分。
除了单选题外，还需要练习essay的写作。这对于英语非母语的外国学生来说尤为重要，因为英语写作往往是我们的弱项，因此需要我们花费更多的精力来提高英文写作能力。
因为律师资格考试有时间限制，学生需要在规定的时间里完成题目。因此，在回答练习题目时你需要有效管理你的时间并且明白每个问题可以花多少时间。比如说，UBE考试中每道单选题不能超过1.8分钟，每篇essay不能超过30分钟，每篇MPT练习要在1.5个小时内完成。上述的分配时间对于大多数同学来说都会感觉到紧张，但你可以通过不断的练习达到这一水平。建议从一开始就在计时的状态下完成练习题，并且培养答题的技巧，包括在时间不够的情况下如何猜正确答案以及养成写作的结构性（比如以惯常的“IRAC”或者“CIRAC”结构来进行写作）。
对于报名BarBri的同学来说，会有一次模拟考试的机会，时间一般是在UBE考试的一个月前。请务必前往现场参加这次模考。你会感受到模拟的考场气氛和考试的压力。完成模拟考试后，你会从BarBri收到一份反馈，会对你各科目的强项与弱项进行一次全面的评估，从而使得你在最后一个月的复习中可以有的放矢对弱项科目加大复习力度。
5. 尽早开始准备：
因为毕业后的两个月时间对于LL.M.学生来说准备考试会显得有些仓促，因此一些学生可能会提早开始复习过程。但这不意味着从你LL.M.项目开始的第一天你就需要开始准备。我觉得学生可以在寒假中抽出一点时间来准备，比如说每天或隔天花两三个小时来学习相关内容。BarBri的“延长复习项目”会从寒假开始，提供一些在线讲座视频，内容主要是考Bar的一些重点难点内容。学生在观看视频后还可以完成相应的MBE题目。“延长复习项目”提供了更长的时间来消化那些难点并且提前给学生一些考试的感觉。
当然，学生完全可以自主开展早期的复习，但他们需要找到对的材料、坚持既定计划并且做到学习中可以全神贯注。
结语：
准备UBE更像是一次马拉松长跑而非冲刺。每个人都会感到疲惫、紧张并且有时会感到沮丧。但是需要记住的一点是通过这一场考试是完全可以做到的，前提是需要你坚持投入时间、严格按照计划执行并且完成每天布置的作业。如果你可以做到上述所有的要求，你会不断地提升自己的正确率并且我确信你在参加UBE时会拥有良好的状态。
最后但却重要的一点是，你需要在繁忙的复习日程中安排时间锻炼和休息，并且每天按时吃饭，晚上一定记得睡觉！

作者：一位不愿留名的2016级LLM毕业校友
修改建议：Hannah Kuether

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I received my LL.M. degree from University of Minnesota Law School in May 2016 and passed the New York Bar Exam on my first try in July 2016.  This article is aimed to review my New York Bar Exam preparation process and to share some helpful tips with current and future LL.M. candidates who intend to take the New York Bar Exam.
Introduction:
Starting from July 2016, New York has adopted the Uniform Bar Exam ("UBE"), and it should be noted that the UBE exam will only test generally accepted legal principles across the states. A specific New York Law Exam ("NYLE") about unique NY laws will be administered separately.   Since the NYLE is an open-book exam and you may take it after the UBE, I will focus my discussion here on how to prepare for the UBE.
The UBE is a two-day exam usually administered in July and February and it consists of the following portions:
1. Multistate Bar Exam ("MBE") (100 multiple choice questions within 3 hours in both morning and afternoon sessions);
2. 6 essays (3 hours); and
3. 2 Multistate Performance Test ("MPT") assignments (3 hours).
Among these three parts, MBE accounts for half of the scores and is the most important portion especially for LL.M. takers who may not gain as many scores from essays as their J.D. peers. The MBE will test 7 subjects namely: Constitution, Contract, Evidence, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure, Property and Tort.
Each essay question will be tested on a certain subject law and you will be provided with a fact pattern and several questions at the end.  The subject laws will span 7 MBE subjects and 6 to 7 additional laws.
The MPT test is like a real life assignment and is closed universe.  You will be provided with a File (containing case facts and instructions) and Library (containing cases and regulations) and you need to prepare a work product (e.g. memo, motion, letter, etc.) according to the instruction and can only quote the laws from the Library.  Both the jurisdiction and legislation in the MPT test are virtual and you are supposed to demonstrate your legal reasoning and legal writing skill as required in the realistic work.
Challenges for LL.M. Takers:
As an LL.M. student, the real challenge in preparation of the UBE is the limit of time and knowledge. Some of you may notice that the pass rate of first time takers for NY UBE is generally over 80%, but you have to realize that this is an overall rate of both J.D. and LL.M. students and some statistics indicate that the pass rate for first time LL.M. candidates dropped significantly to about 40%.
Why? I think the major reasons include:
1. The UBE is a leveled arena for both J.D. and LL.M. takers, and LL.M. students get no time extension as they may usually receive in law school exams;
2. J.D. students have learnt all or almost all the subjects to be tested in UBE during their 3-year law school study, and what they need to do is merely to refresh their memories about some topics;
3. By contrast, LL.M. students probably cannot take all of the 7 MBE subjects during their 10-month program, let alone other additional subjects to be tested in essays.
Preparation Tips:
So what LL.M. students need to do to pass the UBE? I think the following tips might be helpful to ensure your success in the UBE:
1. Take courses relating to UBE subjects:
It's always a good question that what courses an LL.M. student should be enrolled in during the 10-month program. If you are bar exam oriented, it's desirable for you to prioritize your choice to those UBE tested subjects, among which those MBE subjects are top priorities. But it's almost impossible for an LL.M. student to study all 7 MBE subjects in two semesters (and Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure are typically two courses in law school curriculum), and I would suggest studying "Contract, Evidence, Property and Criminal Procedures" as these topics would involve various unique US legal principles and exceptions and taking these courses will enable you to digest and understand these subjects throughout the entire semester. Otherwise, it's pretty challenging to fully understand and memorize all key contents of these subjects within the last two months after your LL.M. graduation when you can prepare for UBE full time.
For "Tort and Criminal Law", you may choose either one of them as both contain some similar principles and studying one of them may help you better understand both subjects.
For "Constitution", I have to admit that it's quite difficult for me as it involves many abstract ideas and is less relevant to our daily life. But the bar exam will only test those major rules which are not that variable as in law school textbooks. So my rule of thumb to prepare Constitution is simply to memorize all crucial contents on your bar review materials if you have no other better solution.
For "Civil Procedure", it's technically difficult even for 1L J.D. students as it involves a lot of procedural rules and less familiar concepts. But those bar review courses may well organize the topics and walk you through them in an acceptable pace.
For other additional subjects to be tested in essays, such as Corporation, Partnership, Agency, Trust and Wills, Family Law, Secured Transactions, etc., you absolutely cannot study them all during the two semesters. You may enroll yourself in the popular BA course which will cover Corporation, Partnership and Agency and you may study other topics during bar review process.
Last, it's imperative to take the legal writing courses (not simply for the New York Bar Exam sitting purpose) and ideally to take it in both semesters as legal writing can only improve by practice. You will find the course helpful when you approach bar exam essay and MPT questions.
2. Sign up for a bar review course:
It does not necessarily mean that you have to take BarBri or other professional courses to pass the UBE, but it's easier to follow them within the two-month preparation period especially if you have little idea about what the bar exam is going to test and how to effectively prepare for that. I signed up for the BarBri course and would like to highlight some key points what you need to do after signing up the course.
First, BarBri offers both live and online courses and the contents delivered are almost the same.   I went to the live courses and I recommend them over online ones. The live courses usually start at 8 am which would push you to get up early. Also, I feel that I can be more concentrated when listening to the lectures in the classroom as opposed to watching them online. In addition, those lecturers may clarify my questions during breaks.
Second, BarBri will set up a full schedule in the last two months which will cover all the topics to be tested in UBE. There will be homework after everyday's courses and you also need to finish assignments over the weekends. There is a progress bar in your BarBri account from which you may know how far you have gone in the entire review program and how far the average students under the same program have gone. You will expect to spend at least 10 hours a day listening to lectures, finishing daily assignments and reviewing topics you have learnt. To be honest, it's not easy to stick to the BarBri schedule, but you need to get as close to it as possible to make you feel more comfortable when taking the UBE.
Third, there is a link in the BarBri website where you may submit questions you have during your bar review process, and a BarBri tutor will get back to you shortly. You may ask follow-up questions to the same tutor until you fully understand the topic. This is quite useful in my experience and there is no extra charge.
3. Focus on key topics:
Given the short period of time and voluminous stuff to study, nobody can actually understand all the topics that may be tested in UBE. Instead, we only need to focus on those key topics and try our best to memorize them until at the end of the bar exam. If you sign up for a BarBri course, the way to identify key topics is quite simple. There is an outline book you will receive from BarBri before the bar review course begins, and there are blanks in each topic where you need to fill out during the lectures. All contents on this outline book can be viewed as key topics which you need to spend a substantial amount of time to review, understand and memorize. They include basic ideas of each subject law and those heavily-tested topics in the previous bar exams. You may write down notes, add tags and use highlighters to make those contents memorable to you.
You will also receive a bunch of other review materials from BarBri and do not feel inundated by them. You are not supposed to review all the details on those books and you can use them in accordance with the BarBri schedule that will tell you when to use which book.
4. Get enough training on answering bar exam questions:
It does not mean practicing as many multiple choice questions as possible and this is indeed a wrong approach. Again, what you need to do is to follow the BarBri schedule and you will be assigned enough multiple choice and essay questions every day. After you first study the subject laws, doing these exercises may test how you have mastered the related concepts. Reviewing the answer explanations to those multiple choice questions is also helpful and you may treat it as part of the learning process.
Aside from the multiple choice questions, students also need to practice essay questions. This is important especially for those foreign students who are not English native speakers as English legal writing is always a weakness and we need to spend more efforts to improve our legal writing skills.
Since the bar exam is administered under time constraint, students should be able to answer questions within the time limit. As a result, you need to well manage your time when approaching those bar review questions and understand how long you can spend for each question. For example, you should spend up to 1.8 minutes for each multiple choice question, 30 minutes for each essay and 1.5 hours for each MPT in the UBE. The above allotted time is actually quite tight for most students but you can get to that speed after repeated practice. It's advisable to practice the questions in a timed mode at the outset and develop strategic skills when answering questions, including wisely guessing multiple choice answers if you are short of time and always writing essays in an organized structure (e.g. "IRAC" or "CIRAC").
For those signing up BarBri courses, you will get a chance to take a mock bar exam about 1 month before the actual UBE, and please do go onsite to take it. You will experience the simulated bar exam atmosphere and sense the pressure. After you finish the timed exam, you will get a feedback from BarBri which will assess your strengths and weakness, and you may know which area you need to spend extra time during the last month.
5. Start early:
Since the two months may not be sufficient to LL.M. bar exam takers, some students may start the bar review process early. This does not mean that you need to pick up the bar review materials from Day 1 of your LL.M. program. I think students may spend some time during their winter vacations, say about 2 to 3 hours every day or every other day to study some bar review contents. BarBri does offer an extended bar review program starting from the winter vacation and will deliver some online lectures about those key topics in each subject law. Students may also finish related MBE questions after watching each lecture. The early program will provide longer time to digest those most difficult parts and some sense of the bar exam.
Again, students may work by themselves during the early preparation stage, but they need to find the right materials, stick to the schedule and concentrate during study hours.
Conclusion:
The bar review is like a marathon rather than a sprint. Everybody may feel exhausted, nervous and sometimes frustrated. But remember that it is absolutely doable as long as you commit yourself to put the time in, stick to the schedule and finish all assignments on a daily basis. If you manage to do all of the above, you will consistently improve your performance and I am confident you will feel comfortable when taking the real UBE.
Last but not least, please also set aside some time out of your busy schedule to get exercises and take breaks. Also, do have meals as usual and go to bed every night!

Author: A graduate of 2016 UMN Law School LLM
Editing Advisor: Hannah Kuether