Famous People Who Failed the Bar Exam
If you failed the bar exam, it is okay! There are a lot of famous people who failed the bar exam, overcame it, and still went on to do fantastic things.
We know that failing the bar exam can be an awful feeling. But we recommend that you do not look at failing one exam (a very hard exam, at that!) as a statement about who you are—look at it as something that can (and will) make you better. Please read this note to those who failed the bar exam if you haven’t already.
Now, for our list of famous people who failed the bar exam . . .
Famous People Who Failed the Bar Exam
- Vice President Kamala Harris (a graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of Law) failed the California bar exam on her first try.
- The Former First Lady Michelle Obama – (a graduate of Harvard Law School) failed the Illinois bar exam on her first try.
- Secretary of State and past Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton failed the DC bar exam the first time she took it. She passed the Arkansas bar after that.
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt failed the New York bar exam on his first try after attending Harvard College and Columbia Law School . . . and he was subsequently elected President four times!
- John F. Kennedy, Jr. failed the New York bar exam twice before passing it on his third try.
- Several Governors have failed the bar exam. Former California Governor, Pete Wilson, failed the California bar exam three times before passing it on his fourth try. Two-time governor of California, Jerry Brown, also failed the bar exam.
- Several Mayors have failed the bar exam (some more than once!), including New York mayor, Ed Koch; Chicago Mayor, Richard Daley, and Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa.
All of these people (and many more!) failed the bar exam at least once…and they did alright 😉! Their bar exam failures certainly do not define them and certainly did not hold them back from leading great careers and living very meaningful lives. In fact, failure probably made them bolder and better at what they did.
We know that failing the bar exam is dreadful, but we hope the fact that you are in good company provides you with some consolation.
When you are ready to make a plan of attack, please read this note to those who failed the bar exam or contact us if you are looking for assistance!
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