It’s that time, again.   Third year law students everywhere are participating in what is probably the most anti-climactic graduation of all educational institutions everywhere.  No teary good-byes.  No “please keep in touch!”  No “see you around.”  Because it is likely that you will be sitting in class next to those same people who are now receiving their diplomas with you, everyday for the next two and a half months.  For a law student, graduation is just the beginning of the final (and probably most grueling) stage of their legal education.  Studying for, and taking, the Bar Exam.

I like to compare this time in your academic career to the final stage of Marine Corp bootcamp, better known as the Crucible.  Just as you thought you were finished, that you had gone through the hardest parts and were ready to graduate and move on, you have to surmount one final, huge hurdle.  A culmination of everything you’ve learned (or should have learned) and everything you will need to know for your career.  One final exam to test your skills and knowledge before you are sent out into the real world.

It’s hard.  It’s a challenge.  I’m not going to lie – it’s not fun.  But it is doable, and once you do accomplish this final task, you will feel as though you can take on the world. 

Good luck graduates!   You are ALMOST done!