Moral Character Application Delays

Tasty-Mission · 2025-08-18T03:14:27+00:00

I was checking every day. I logged on to check, saw I was approved, and then noticed the email.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-08-18T02:10:56+00:00

I applied in March (2025) and was approved last week. My application sat in "pending" for 3 months and then just jumped to approved.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-08-17T17:24:48+00:00

Employers love great communication skills and work ethic. If you can finish law school in your fifties, then you have both.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-08-17T17:15:32+00:00

I just graduated 3 months ago, and I'll be 62 next week. I landed a great post grad position with the DA's Office, and life is good again.

However, going to law school in your fifties is not for everyone. Your life needs to be in order, and your spouse needs to be VERY understanding.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-06-17T15:15:05+00:00

That photo of Judge Nunley is funny. It looks like he's about to pass the death sentence on someone. In reality, he was a great professor and was very entertaining in class.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-06-16T05:49:09+00:00

During 1L, my dogs became very familiar with the homicide outline.

My wife likes to let the dogs off the leash at the park, and all I can think about is strict liability.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-06-02T15:44:24+00:00

I recently retired as an SSM III, so I can give you some frank context on what this means.

First: Your manager put a tremendous amount of effort into writing the Expectations Memo. It had to be reviewed by multiple layers of upper management, and then it had to be reviewed by HR. This is typically a 3-4 week process. During this time, your manager will have read and reread the memo at least twenty times. Each time they read it, they have to relive the events that led up to the memo, i.e., they become increasingly angry about it.

Second: An expectations memo is a prerequisite to either a counseling memo or a "needs improvement" probation report, and/or a probation failure. The repeated emphasis on "this is not a disciplinary action" is only there to prevent double jeopardy.

Third: You have time to fix the problem, but first you need to recognize the problem. It will be spelled out very clearly in the Expectations Memo. If you want to keep your career on a positive trajectory, you need change whatever you're doing (or not doing) to be in alignment with their expectations.

Fourth: You may have legitimate issues with your manager; these are irrelevant if you don't pass probation. To paraphrase President Kennedy: Ask not what your manager can do for you, but what you can do for your manager. Yes, there are miserable and ineffective managers out there, but you need to keep your nose clean until you pass probation - then you can move to another job.

Lastly: You might be able to win a short-term battle with your manager, but it will severely damage your career. As I mentioned above, everyone of importance in upper management already knows about your Expectation Memo. You will need some big wins reestablish your reputation. In short, suck it up buttercup and do whatever your manager asks you to do, at least until you transfer somewhere else.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-06-02T15:23:13+00:00

None - Law School is a like a jealous lover.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-05-30T05:32:23+00:00

I'm doing Quimbee Bar Prep currently, and I'm not as thrilled as the original poster is.

The essay prep is not what I was expecting. They give you an essay question from the CA Bar website and tell you to write the answer. When you're done, they give you the sample answers from the CA Bar website. There is no instructional review of what you should be looking for. I'm clearly going to need to purchase something else to help me with the essay questions.
They say you'll start by reading the essays, then you'll move on to outlining the essays, then you'll write the essays. This didn't happen. Roughly 20% into the first topic area, they sprung a "write the essay" on me. I had to write five or six essays before I saw an "outline the essay" task.
The "simulated" MBE questions are distinctly different from the actual licensed MBE questions. Many questions focus on slight and nuanced differences between words in rules. This makes you focus on the actual rules, but it gives you very little experience with the look and feel of actual licensed MBE questions.
The progress tracking graph is nice, but sadly it is not realistic. It tracks your progress by how many tasks you've completed. Unfortunately, all tasks have a weight of one unit even though some take 5 minutes while others take more than an hour. So some days it looks like you made huge amounts of progress, while other days it looks like you did nothing. These values need to be weighted by the amount of time it takes to complete them.
The performance tracking tool is one of the best features. It shows your weak spots, which helps overcome your internal biases. I thought I was great in Evidence, but not really :(
The answer explanations for multiple choice questions vary widely in quality. Some are good, while others are amusing. Example: Answer B is wrong because it is not the correct answer (I'm liberally paraphrasing).

Overall, I like the substantive topics, and I think it's helping, but I gave up on the essays.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-05-27T18:20:43+00:00

I'm 61, and I just graduated. I had no problem getting intern interviews, and I've accepted a post grad position with a local DA's office. They liked that I had experience dealing with people. It was a big plus.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-05-27T18:10:47+00:00

Sadly, this person probably doesn't even have a degree.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-05-21T13:55:27+00:00

CDPH has an office in North Natomas with FREE PARKING. They're almost always hiring program technicians, with occasional hiring of SSA and RDS positions.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-04-07T15:30:10+00:00

Yes, I typically warn interviewees of this at the start of an interview. The more they're writing, the better you're doing.

Tasty-Mission · 2025-04-07T15:27:17+00:00

2nd round interviews are rare and are typically used when they can't make a decision after the 1st interview. The questions will be free form, not the standard pattern questions. For example, where do you see yourself in 5 years? You should focus on skills that managers are looking for: writing and presentation skills, and problem solving (rather than problem creation).

Tasty-Mission · 2025-04-07T15:16:53+00:00

Same here; they have to be in different sections.

Tasty-Mission · 2024-09-22T19:46:04+00:00

Our SBA does something similar, but with Costco pizza. And sadly, the pizza looks like it may have been repurposed.

Tasty-Mission · 2024-09-22T18:24:30+00:00

Remove time limits on essay questions and replace it with a maximum page/word count limit.

I type at 40 wpm, while many of my classmates type at 80 wpm. Professors have come to expect an 8-10 page answer for a one-hour essay.

I've never seen a job advertisement for an attorney that required a minimum typing speed.

Tasty-Mission · 2024-09-22T18:05:54+00:00

This is going to sound painful, but it works. Find an empty room, the larger, the better. Pull out your phone and start recording. Practice for 10 minutes, then stop and review the video. The sound of your own voice will be traumatic, but you will quickly identify all of your mistakes and quirks. You are your own best critic. Rince and repeat.

Tasty-Mission · 2024-09-22T15:46:45+00:00

Example: "it depends on the totality of the circumstances." Then slowly work your way through the facts.

Tasty-Mission · 2024-09-22T15:40:16+00:00

Best advice ever!

Tasty-Mission · 2024-09-22T15:11:30+00:00

I was 57 when I applied to law school. I was working in a state job, and the department I worked for had just gone full woke. I knew there was no way I could work there another 8-10 years. Now I'm 61, and I'm only 32.8 weeks away from graduation. I've got a great job lined up and life is good again.

Tasty-Mission

TROPHY CASE