A Big THANKS To Those Folks Who ...

... followed through and commented on Jason's outlines.  Your feedback helps everyone. 

Here's a link to an interesting article in today's Los Angeles Daily Journal entitled: "Slow bar exam results upset law deans, recent graduates. Law deans complain that State Bar's lag hampers students' job searches."

And to answer the commenter who asked my opinion about the actual practice of law now that I've earned my license, it's everything I expected it to be, and more, and less (sort of.)

First, not one client has asked me how many times I took the bar exam.  Not one.  And my client base includes other attorneys, whom I suspect would be the persons most interested in that number (if there were any interest, which it appears there is not.) 

Second, it helps to have an aggressive entrepreneurial spirit if one is going to start one's legal career as a sole practitioner.  Either that, or have a lot of friends in the business.  I'm not very entrepreneurial, but I do have quite a few friends, and I suspect a large part of my new business is from referrals by my friends.  I say this because I've received more than a few phone calls from people I've never met, and who have no reason to know of me unless someone pointed them in my direction.  I am puzzled by that, but I am also very grateful. 

Third, it's expensive to start and maintain a sole proprietorship law firm.  Not only does a sole proprietor have to pay the mortgage/utilities/etc. at home, there are all the expenses associated with being an attorney, which include office space rent, insurance, utilities, subscription fees, membership fees, association fees, and all the other typical costs of practicing law (filing fees, process service fees, investigation fees, ad nauseum.) 

Fourth, the many and varied types of people who want and/or need the services of an attorney, and their reasons for so wanting/needing, has surprised me.   I'll try to post more on this later.