What to do now that you’ve passed THE BAR EXAM
Editor’s note: There are several ways to become a licensed attorney in Colorado. This article is targeted to those Class C applicants who passed the Colorado bar examination. If you are waived on a motion or have taken the Uniform Bar Exam and been cleared, click here for more information on your next steps.
Congratulations! You’ve passed the bar! Here are some next steps you should take while you wait to be admitted to practice law.
Complete your admission requirements and become familiar with helpful resources available to you
Even though you’ve passed the bar, you’re not quite a lawyer yet. You still have a few more steps before you can become a full-fledged ESQ.
- Be sure to read up on the Court’s procedures for attending the mandatory admission ceremony.
- Have you signed up for the mandatory Practicing with Professionalism course yet?
- Sign up for the Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program.
- Be sure to fill out your “Orange Card” for your free year membership with the bar.
- Become familiar with Casemaker, the Colorado Bar Association’s free online legal research engine.
- Read The Docket articles online.
Visit the Employment Ads
You’re (almost) a lawyer! Time to find a job and start your legal career. New jobs from around the state are posted daily to the Colorado Bar Association’s employment webpage and via CBA’s twitter account. You can search for jobs and set up alerts so that new positions go straight to your inbox.
If you’re hoping to hang your own shingle, be sure to check out the CBA’s Law Practice Management Department’s resources and sign up for the Solo Small Firm Section.
Start Networking
Denver’s legal community is large, but there are many ways to network. Check out the Denver Young Lawyers Division to join a smaller community of attorneys new to the practice of law, or attend DBA events to meet attorneys from different practice areas. DBA also offers 16 committees and myriad volunteer opportunities, which makes connecting with people in your practice area easy. Don’t forget to connect with DBA members and other new attorneys on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, too.
Write for The Docket and the DBA Young Lawyers blog
Be an active voice in the legal community! We know you have something to say, and we invite you to say it in The Docket and the Young Lawyers blog. Send an email to hclark@cobar.org with your ideas. Writing for The Docket or the blog is a great way to get your name out there and to show knowledge on your résumé and LinkedIn.
Celebrate!
Now is the time to begin celebrating. Spend some time with your dog! Call your mom! Toast with some friends! Cheers to you—passing the bar exam is a huge accomplishment, and you did it!
Candidates who took the July 2014 bar exam will learn whether they passed the exam in early October via the Colorado Supreme Court’s website.
By Heather Clark, the communications and marketing director for the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations, and managing editor of The Docket. She can be reached at hclark@cobar.org.
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