Your career, R.I.P.

I’ve resolved to take the California bar this summer. Three years ago, I was stunned to learn that I’d actually passed the Illinois bar, and with the certitude of hindsight, I can easily admit that my test prep sucked shit. The California examination is notoriously difficult, and I’ll have to juggle my job with bar review. In addition, I may have to scale back my contribution to the firm’s summer recruiting effort, which Claire should be thankful for. But because I think 80% of your life’s happiness can be secured by the consistent application of diminished expectations, I read something today that brought me some relief. Kathleen Sullivan—a cum laude graduate of HLS, former dean of Stanford Law School, and widely-respected authority on constitutional law—failed the California bar exam last summer. So be reassured, it happens to the best of us. Of course, for soon-to-be law firm associates without Professor Sullivan’s street credibility, failing one’s first attempt at the bar is a near-permanent badge of inferiority. Everyone at your firm will know, and very few of them will forget. So don’t fuck that shit up.