By: Laisha Harris
Twice a year, the Texas Board of Law Examiners has what lawyers call a “Bar exam.” Before a lawyer can engage in the practice of law, they must pass a comprehensive multi-tiered exam filled with multiple-choice and essay questions. At Thurgood Marshall School of Law, there are a handful of students who began their studies at the peak of the COVID pandemic yet passed the Bar exam with scores high enough to practice law in multiple jurisdictions.
Historically, the justice system has been implemented against Black men and women. In 1946, the Texas Constitution mandated segregation in schools. Herman Marion Sweatt applied to the University of Texas Law School but was denied because he was a Black man. Shortly after, the Texas State University for Negroes was formed, providing higher learning in law, education, and medicine for Black students in Houston. As Thurgood Marshall was a judge who heard Sweatt’s case, the law school was named the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. As of 2021, only 5% of Texas attorneys are Black, although they represent 12% of the Texas population. At Thurgood Marshall, 59% of the law students are Black. As we continue to make strides towards equity in our communities, students like Tedrick Hawkins, Justyn Edwards and Derick Grandoit are doing their part to Protect It, Improve It, but most importantly, Pass It On.
This past Sunday, ThurGreat esquires hosted “Free Game” to share their tips and success on how they conquered the February Bar Exam. “Seventy days, almost 12 hours every day,” says Hawkins. “I started with 25 practice questions. As I got closer to the bar, I would do more than 50 questions a day. I made sure to see every subject each week. Con[stitutional] law was my hardest class in school, but that was my highest score on the bar.”
Amongst the three, test taking resources like Barbri and Kaplan were used, but later abandoned for Adaptibar. While there was a wide array of questions, the explanations weren’t very clear. Edwards shared that he looked at the most frequently tested rules and made them into flashcards. Repetition and frequency with multiple-choice questions provided foundation of their success. “There’s only so many ways to ask a question,” says Grandoit.
How did they remain consistent? “Knowing the why. We would have conversations about what we wanted to do when we passed the bar. We would make a list and now that we’ve passed, we can start crossing off those things,” says Grandoit. “Also, studying in a group. Being in the same room low-key forces you to hold yourself accountable to getting your studying done. I would pick up my phone and then look around, I’d see Derick and Teddy weren’t on their phone, so I’d put it down and get back to studying,” shared Edwards.
What do they recommend to other students who anticipate taking the bar in the future? “Just graduate and when it’s time for the bar, go overboard with your grind,” says Hawkins. “Take the bar prep classes at school!” The trio shares that if you start studying early, by the time you get to your bar course, you’re fine tuning your bar skills and can be more prepared for the exam. “Have a group that knows your why and everybody is working towards the same goal,” says Edwards. “Prioritize the subjects you study. Be sure to give more time to the subjects you need more help on so you can improve by the time bar comes around,” says Grandoit.
These three Class of 2023 graduates perfectly exemplify the values of Thurgood Marshall School of Law. While the road they were on is less travelled, having been the first law school class to endure a global pandemic, they are truly blazing a path. Hawkins will continue to work for a corporate firm. Edwards and Grandoit plan on opening their own firm, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury. “Coming from a family with no lawyers, I was focused on becoming the first in my family to do so,” says Edwards.
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