Alabama Bar Exam: A Basic Guide
Preparing to take the Alabama Bar Exam will consume most of your time for the three or four months leading up to it. To study effectively you will need to know what is on the test, as well as what is expected of you as an Alabama Bar Candidate. This article will cover these issues and provide you with information that you will need to successfully navigate your way through this process of preparation.
QUALIFYING AND REGISTERING FOR THE ALABAMA BAR EXAM
In the state of Alabama the State Bar of Admissions Office handles the Alabama Bar Exam. Attorney candidates in this state should therefore contact this organization for current qualification requirements, registration materials, study guides, and current fee information.
State Bar of Admissions Office
PO Box 671
Montgomery, AL 36101
(334) 269-1515 phone number
http://www.alabar.org
Alabama Bar Exam Format
The Alabama Bar Exam is held during the last week of February and during the last week of July each year. It is divided into three separate days of testing. On the first and second day of the Alabama Bar Exam attorney candidates will take the Multistate Essay Exam and the Alabama Essay Exam. The Alabama Essay Exam generally covers the following Alabama Civil Litigation topics: (1) statutory and equitable remedies, (2) dispute subjects to arbitration, (3) abatement, survival, and revival actions, (4) statutes of limitation, (5) choice of forum, (6) pleadings and pleading stage motions, (7) parties and joinder, (8) discovery, (9) pre-trial disposition, (10) jury considerations, (11) motions in limine, (12) sequence of proceedings, (13) preservation of error, (14) burden of proof, (15) judgment as a matter of law, (16) verdicts, (17) post-trial motions, (18) judgment enforcement, (19) Alabama appellate jurisdiction, (20) Alabama standards of review, (21) Alabama appellate procedures, (22) Alabama extraordinary writs, (23) claim and Issue preclusion, (24) pre-judgment seizure, and (25) accountability of parties and counsel.
On the third day of the Alabama Bar Exam attorney candidates will take the Multistate Bar Exam, as well as the Multistate Performance Test. The Mutlistate Bar Exam is a multiple choice test which is made up of 200 questions that cover general legal topics. The legal processes and laws that are covered in this part of the exam will not be state specific, but will instead be those things that are used throughout the country.
Study Tips for the Alabama Bar Exam
It is important to understand the pace at which laws change in the state that you want to sit for the bar exam. To ensure that you will be using the most up-to-date state laws and statute it is a good idea to visit the Alabama State Bar Admissions Office website for the latest topics and laws that will be covered in the exam.
In the Alabama Essay Section of the Alabama State Bar Exam the following topics are usually covered, so you will need to make sure that you are familiar with them and their applications in Alabama.
1. Preliminary Considerations and Litigation Planning, including: Statutory and Equitable Remedies, Declaratory Judgements, Specific Performance, Rescission and Reformation, Trade Secrets and Covenants Not to Compete, Prejudgement Seizure, Attachment, Garnishment, Detinue, Equitable Defenses, and Miscellaneous topics such as: constructive trusts, equitable liens, equitable mortgages, and subrogation.
2. Disputes Subject to Arbitration including Alabama Arbitration Law and Federal Preemptive of State Arbitration Law.
3. Abatement, Survival, and Revival of Actions
4. Statutes of Limitations
5. Choice of Forum and Jurisdiction
6. Pre-trial Practice Topics including: Pleadings and pleading stage motions, parties and joinder, discovery, and pre-trial disposition.
7. Trial topics like: jury considerations, motions in limine, sequence of proceedings, preservation of error, burden of proof, judgement as a matter of law, and verdicts.
8. Post-judgement proceedings topics such as: post-trial motions, and judgement enforcement.
9. Alabama appellate practice topics like: appellate jurisdiction, standard of review, appellate procedure, and extraordinary writs.
10. Collateral issues such as: claim and issue preclusion, pre-judgement seqizure, and accountability of parties and counsel.
The following references should be used to prepare for items 1 through 10 above:
1. Preliminary Considerations and Litigation Planning (Code of Alabama)
2. Pre-Trial Practice (Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure)
3. Trial (Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure 38-40 & 42-52; as well as Alabama case law.)
4. Alabama Appellate Practice (Alabama Code 1975 subsections 6-640)
5. Collateral Issues (Alabama Rule of Civil Procedure and Code of Alabama 1975).
