Well, it's official: I passed the New Hampshire bar! As I mentioned just after the exam, I felt pretty good about it. It turns that I had good reason.
Needless to say, this was a gigantic relief for me. Not passing the bar would have meant that I couldn't have practiced a profession that I spent the last three years of law school trying to learn. While I guess I would have been employable somewhere, the prospects for those of us who don't pass the bar are slight, especially in a tough economy.
The bar was the single most difficult thing that I've ever had to go through. It was dramatically difficult and emotionally draining. I used running and biking to keep me somewhat sane, but that didn't always work. I took two bar exams: one for New Hampshire and one for Massachusetts. I'll find out about Massachusetts in late October, but New Hampshire was the state that I was concerned about because I'm currently practicing in that state, so I need to have passed the bar. Massachusetts will be the proverbial icing on the cake.
So what's next for me post-bar? Well, I'm working as a Public Defender. A Public Defender is a criminal defense attorney for people who can't afford an attorney. It was the job that I've wanted for the last two years, and I couldn't possibly be happier to have it.
Needless to say, 2010 has been a very, very good year for me. Graduating from law school, finishing the distance from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, and now passing the bar. Frankly, it will go down as one of the best years of my life. Wow, it feels great to feel that way.
Still to come: the Century ride I did this weekend. Spoiler alert: I'm really sore. Really sore.