What It’s Like To Pass The Bar

The ringing phone quickly pulled me out of sleep.  Without putting on my glasses I squinted at the blurry caller ID to see my close friend and law school classmate’s name flashing across the screen.  Surely he wouldn’t be calling without some good news, right?

 

Friday, September 28th was the culmination of a two month wait that recent law school graduates throughout the country endure every summer.  After the three years of classes and months of additional studying we had taken the Alabama State Bar Exam in late July and after a lot of hoping, praying, and constant 2nd-guessing the results were finally posted.  

 

A passing score on the bar exam was not imperative for me to keep my job as a fundraiser and advocate for Israel and the Jewish community, but it was still something of great importance to me.  After I accepted the job at The BJF last summer, many people asked whether or not I was still planning on taking the bar exam since I wasn’t pursuing a traditional legal career.  My answer had always been an unequivocal “yes.”  In fact, I had crafted my final year of law school with The BJF in mind, taking classes concerning non-profit compliance, church-state relations, and charitable giving law.  I had taken the position with the hope that my legal background could serve the Federation well.  

 

“Good morning, counselor,” my friend said when I picked up the phone, invoking the title often used when addressing licensed attorneys.  Assuming from this greeting that all had worked out as we hoped, I quickly pulled up the Alabama State Bar’s website on my laptop and searched my name in the bar directory just to be sure.  As my information appeared along with the note “Admitted: September 28, 2012” a sense of relief came over me.  The long hours studying for the law school exams and ultimately the bar exam itself had paid off, and now I was ready to fulfill my role at The BJF to my best ability.

 

I owe a thanks to my phenomenal professors at the University of Alabama School of Law and to all those friends and family who have supported me throughout this process.  You all made this long journey a little easier and words cannot express my appreciation.  

 

Finally, I want to use this, my first post on The BJF’s new blog, to thank BJF Executive Director Richard Friedman, BJF President Jimmy Filler, and so many others who have put their trust in me.  They helped me envision this dream job that will allow me to utilize my law school education to make a difference in the lives of so many people locally, nationally, and globally who are touched by the BJF’s phenomenal work, and I will always be grateful for this amazing opportunity.     

 

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Assistant Executive Director

Daniel Odrezin

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