Barman Ping-Pong, Pathos, and Passing the Bar Unknown - 2003

From the publisher

If bestsellers like The Paper Chase and One L gave you the romantic idea that law school is the intellectual kiln where great legal minds are forged, Alex Wellen is about to set you straight. An ordinary John Doe whose law school was not located in Cambridge, who never clerked for any Supreme Court justice, and who staggered under a stupefying workload and often wondered if he'd ever make it, Wellen lived to practice law--but not without some hairy moments. Clearing the Bar recounts the real-life, not-so-romantic metamorphosis of an average guy into a lawyer. This fresh, irreverent memoir pulls no punches. From the gut-wrenching limbo of the nine months between graduation and the dreaded bar exam (the second most important gestation period in his life), to the rude awakening of the New York interview process (Why on earth did I wear this suit? Where the hell do I hail a cab?), Wellen unveils the sometimes ridiculous tolls his chosen career exacted. Required reading for the 900,000 lawyers currently in practice in the United States (at least, the ones who didn't go to Harvard), Clearing the Bar is also a pep-talk/reality-check for anyone embarking on a new career.