Should I write my own Michigan bar exam appeal?

Should I Write my Own Michigan Bar Exam Appeal—or Have Someone Write it on My Behalf?

Before you ask the question of whether you should write your own appeal or have someone write it for you, you should ask the question: Should I appeal my bar exam score? If you arrive at the conclusion “yes” then you have to decide whether you want to hire someone to write it for you or whether you want to write it yourself.

This question, “Should I write my own Michigan bar exam appeal” does not have one right answer. In fact, to answer this question, you will need to ask yourself a few more questions, listed below.

Update 1/1/23: Michigan no longer allows examinees to appeal their bar exam score! We will no longer be writing appeals for Michigan Bar Exam takers.

Five Questions to Ask When Deciding Whether to Write Your own Michigan Bar Exam Appeal:

1. Am I an effective legal writer and researcher?

Do you have a good amount of research and writing experience? Maybe you took several legal writing classes in law school or maybe you clerked and had the opportunity to develop these skills. If so, and if you consider yourself to be pretty good at researching, writing, and making creative arguments, it might be worth it to attempt your own appeal.

2. Do I have a good amount of time to commit to writing this appeal?

When you appeal your score, you do not want to just appeal one question, you want to appeal several questions (closer to 10-12 questions, if possible!). This maximizes your chances of receiving points back on appeal.

However, this also means that you have to carefully consider each question, research the issues, compare the model answer to your answer, and write convincing arguments. This is a time-intensive process. If you are not working full time or if you otherwise have plenty of time to dedicate to the task, go for it.

But, on the other hand, if you already have 10,000 responsibilities and you cannot imagine yourself writing a good appeal in an adequate amount of time, you might want to consider having someone else write it for you.

3. Do I have the money to hire someone to write an appeal for me?

Appeals cost a lot — in part because they take a lot of time to write. Lawyers are researching, making creative arguments, and presenting your case as best as they can. As such, you can expect to spend a few thousand dollars on an appeal.

We have more information about our pricing as well as the approximate pricing of other appeals’ writers below.

4. Do I need to start studying for the next exam?

Students who take the July bar exam generally receive results in late October (or, evidently, early November, as of late). These students could, in theory, write an entire appeal (which would be due in November or December) and then start studying for the next exam with plenty of time to spare in case the appeal is unsuccessful. (We always recommend beginning your bar exam preparation as early as possible to increase your chance of success on the next bar exam.)

Students who take the February exam generally get results in May — sometimes mid-May. Thus, if they choose to write their own appeal they are cutting directly into valuable study time that they will need if their appeals are unsuccessful.

5. What is my attitude toward writing my own appeal?

Some students simply do not feel optimistic about the prospects of writing their own appeal. They may feel down or defeated after the bar exam and would feel much better if the appeal was in the hands of someone else.

Other students feel gung-ho about the appeals process and they are pumped up to show the Board of Law Examiners firsthand that they are perfectly capable of practicing law.

Your attitude makes a difference. If you are feeling unsure and defeated, this will likely show through in your appeal. If you are feeling confident about yourself and your appeal, that shows through too.

If I Decide to Write the Michigan Bar Exam Appeal Myself:

Check out this resource on how to write a Michigan bar exam appeal and keep checking back to the site for more information. We genuinely try to assist examinees in writing their own appeal and we feel as though there is a huge lack of information readily available online. We try to fill that gap.

If I Decide to Hire Someone to Write my Michigan Bar Exam Appeal:

Who are appeal writers in the state?

We write appeals. After assisting many students in writing their bar exam appeals, we started offering this service ourselves. We know how the process works and what it takes to succeed. Contact us if you are interested in hearing more about our appeals process. We only take a very limited number of appeals each administration so feel free to sign up early then take your name off the list if you decide not to appeal your score or change your mind about having us write it.

We have a high success rate and wrote half of the passing appeals in the state for the July 2015 bar exam.

Looking to Pass the Bar Exam on Appeal?

Check out our information on Michigan bar exam appeals here. JD Advising founder and her partner founded the Heidemann Jabbori law firm. This firm frequently writes the vast majority of passing appeals in the State of Michigan. It wrote all of the passing appeals in Michigan for the July 2018 Michigan bar administration.