So What You're a _____ Lawyer

I'm not sure how this works in other states, but here in Texas the bar passage rate comes with some bragging rights. I became well aware of this as a 1L when one of our deans interrupted class just to brag about our school's passage rate. It became abundantly clear to us still scared 1Ls that passing the bar was important. This fact was reinforced my 3L year when this same dean came in to a class of mine to report a rather low bar passage rate. Our administration pondered over why the rate dropped, was it because the students were less smart? No. Eventually the blame was put upon BARBRI putting up the lectures online and students quit going to class. I still think this odd that they blame BARBRI... I mean just because its online does not meant the student cannot go to class, but that is neither here nor there. The point is that passing the bar becomes something of a ranking for Texas law schools. I mean if you check out the results page on the BLE, you can also see the rankings for Texas schools.

I have always been pretty proud of how well my alma mater has done on the bar exam, considering its a 3rd tier school and people liken it to an inner city slum often. I mean we require our students to take all the major bar subjects ( you would be amazed that 2 certain schools do not require evidence!). But I was never more proud of be a alum of my school than Saturday morning. I attended my sister's law school graduation. Now, it was quite different from my own. First, it was in the Baptist church (this should clue you in where I was). Second, it was very small (winter class). The student speaker was the highest ranking student, instead of one chosen by the class, and the speaker was a professor (who was brillant BTW! I love a good Bluebook joke). But most of all, they were VERY proud of themselves and their little school. I get it, its the graduation for that school they are going to shout its praises from the mountain tops, but I feel as though it went a tad too far. I mean, how many other lawyers were out there thinking, I did not go here and I'm a damn good lawyer. This particular school is rather proud to dub themselves ______Lawyers. Who cares? I mean honestly after you pass the bar who cares what school you went to. Yes, I get it their lawyers go through the hell of PC,  but so what! Its not like I did not endure hell at my school. I mean I'm pretty sure as Elle Woods would say, "we took the same LSATs....) I took the same bar exam, I am employed.... Just because I did not go through PC does not mean I will not make a good litigator.

Now, I'm going to stop at this point and say two things: 1) I am way proud of my sister and would not have missed that moment for the world, so this is by no means to take away from her accomplishment. I mean I was in tears just seeing her; and 2) my school just won the National Moot Court Competition for the 2nd year in a row!

My point, who cares where you went to school! Each law school offers its students different opporunities, programs, experiences, but they all over the student the same degree. It's up to that student to make it worth it. It's not about being a Tech Lawyer, a Baylor Lawyer, a UT Lawyer, etc... its about  being a lawyer. Its about passing the bar and going into practice and proving yourself. Yes, I'm a product of my school, but I'm also a product of myself. ~The Illegal Blonde