The Weekend MPRE: Complete Preparation for the MPRE in Only a Weekend's Time
Author:
Christensen, Leah
Edition:
3rd
Copyright Date:
2022
18 chapters/videos
have results for mpre
Chapter 2. Basic Information About the MPRE 30 results (showing 5 best matches)
- The MPRE is offered three times a year: in March, August, and November. In many states, you can take the MPRE before you finish law school; ideally, you should take the MPRE as soon as you complete your course in Professional Responsibility, and take it early enough so that if you do fail, you’ll have another chance to take it before the bar exam (some states will not let you sit for the bar exam until after you have passed the MPRE). Some of your classmates will tell you that you “don’t need your PR course” to take the MPRE. That is true, IF you are diligent and take the time necessary to study the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. The MPRE is different than typical law school exams. Although the rules are important in law school exams, the focus is actually on the application and analysis of the facts applied to those rules in law school. For the MPRE, the rules are the focus of the exam. You are not asked to do written analysis in the MPRE. Instead, you examine a fact pattern...
- The MPRE is created and administered by the NCBE, which is also responsible for the Multistate Bar Examination. The MPRE is currently administered in every state, as well as the District of Columbia. All but two jurisdictions require the MPRE to obtain a law license in the state. Wisconsin and Puerto Rico do not require the MPRE in order to be a member of the bar.
- Okay, this part is important! You need to understand the specific phrases used in the MPRE to effectively master the MPRE exam. This is often something that students bypass when studying for the MPRE, yet it is crucial.
- In order to prepare for the MPRE, you want to learn not only the professional responsibility rules, but also how to recognize important phraseology within the MPRE questions themselves. There are particular statements or themes brought forth in MPRE questions that you will see over and over again. Consider the following:
- Remember that the MPRE is actually very limited in the range and types of issues it tests. Given that the exam is multiple-choice, the MPRE cannot always test gray areas within the professional responsibility rules well—the facts and rules usually point to one best answer. Students familiar with the MPRE often suggest that if you are stuck on a question, pick the second most ethical answer. In other words, one of the key distractor questions will be what on its fact appears to be the most ethical answer. Often, this is not the best answer—because lawyers realistically have competing considerations involved in
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Chapter 1. An Introduction to This Course 27 results (showing 5 best matches)
- Recently, I had a student come see me shortly after failing the MPRE. I was surprised that this student had not passed the MPRE on the first time—he was an excellent student in law school. The student was very frustrated and described how he reviewed the rules over and over again before taking the MPRE. I asked him whether he had taking any MPRE exams before the exam itself. He looked up surprised and responded that he had practiced the actual MPRE questions—he had focused solely on the rules. That was the problem! This student needed to practice the MPRE questions just as much as he focused on the individual rules. Practicing the questions allows you to see and recognize the patterns that appear frequently on the MPRE exam.
- Perhaps you say, “I’ve taken Professional Responsibility, why do I need another class?” Often, Professional Responsibility (PR) courses provide you with the rules—but no real MPRE practice. Even if you’ve taken PR already in law school, you will probably not have all the materials you need from your PR class to prepare adequately for the MPRE. Ask anyone who has casually studied for the MPRE exam and failed (yes, people do fail the MPRE!). It is not an overly difficult exam, but it uses unique terminology and strange question formats. The multiple-choice questions on the MPRE are written differently than typical multiple-choice questions written by your professors or bar examiners. Think about MPRE questions being more like questions on the LSAT. There are a few important tricks to answering MPRE questions that can make your job as a test-taker far easier.
- The Weekend MPRE
- The MPRE exam is not a law school exam. Studying for the MPRE will be easier than studying for the bar exam or a law school essay exam, but you do need to attack the exam efficiently. Too many students fail the MPRE one, two, or even three times—because they don’t study the right materials. Then test anxiety sets in and it becomes even harder to pass the exam.
- The Weekend MPRE
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Chapter 4. The Weekend MPRE Outlines 7 results (showing 5 best matches)
- Welcome to Weekend MPRE. This is a unique course designed to give you everything you need to prepare for the MPRE. This first lecture will address lessons one and two and discuss test strategies for the MPRE and talk about the exam itself. You need to understand the exam before you start studying so you can prepare efficiently.
- Five, choose the best of the remaining mediocre answers. Number six, timing. You have two minutes to read each question, answer it, and move on. Keep moving. Remember, people do fail the MPRE. Start by knowing the rules, then practice. Consider this, what's a passing score? Presently, MPRE passing scores in the several states range from 70 to 85.
- California requires a scaled score of 86. Questions on the ABA model rules make up 90 to 94% of the questions on the MPRE. The rest of the questions relate to the Code of Judicial Conduct. Look at your outline to see the list of subjects in more detail. Let's move on to lesson two. Here we're going to talk about the examiner's purpose in the scope of the MPRE exam.
- One very common mistake is to think that you can answer a question based upon thinking about morals or even real life situations. That tends not to work on the MPRE. Think Code. What do the rules say? What is the language of the rules?
- These two concepts are very important in the MPRE. Mandatory discipline means that a rule was willfully violated or there is a pattern of violation and the attorney is absolutely subject to discipline. Key words to pay attention to with regards to mandatory conduct are as follows: must, shall, subject to discipline, disciplinary rule, subject to litigation sanction, subject to disqualification, subject to civil liability and subject to criminal liability.
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Chapter 3. The Schedule 7 results (showing 5 best matches)
- Note that we offer our quizzes in an online format (within the website). The simulated MPRE exams are offered in both the online format and written format (at the end of this booklet). The actual MPRE is in a fully online format.
- How should you plan your weekend before the MPRE? Here’s our suggestion for a plan that you can tailor to meet your individual needs.
- Test Strategies for the MPRE and Areas of Coverage
- The Framework for the MPRE
- MPRE Simulated Exam 1
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LESSONS 6 and 7: Dishonesty and Misconduct and Practicing Without a License 12 results (showing 5 best matches)
- Lesson 6, dishonesty and misconduct. One of the most important concepts on the MPRE is that attorneys cannot act dishonestly, even at that early point in their career when they are trying to become an attorney. Let's start with the concept of lying on your bar application or any misconduct involving the bar application. The MPRE loves to test this concept, likely because they know that you are so close to this part of your professional life. We're going to address false statements or a failure to disclose material facts on your bar application, rule 8.1.
- Lesson 6, dishonesty and misconduct. One of the most important concepts on the MPRE is that attorneys cannot act dishonestly, even at that early point in their career when they are trying to become an attorney. Let's start with the concept of lying on your bar application or any misconduct involving the bar application. The MPRE loves to test this concept, likely because they know that you are so close to this part of your professional life. We're going to address false statements or a failure to disclose material facts on your bar application, rule 8.1.
- Although certainly there are lots of other possible actions that would fall under misconduct, these are the areas that are most tested. What about the attorney's duty to report ethical violations of other attorneys? The MPRE loves to test this area as well. This is sometimes called whistle blowing. Reporting ethical violations, whistle blowing, under rule 8.3.
- This is an important rule to know. If you lie on your bar application you will be subject to discipline after passing the bar. However, good faith mistakes are permissible meaning an accidental mistake. Note, one way the MPRE can trick you, only licensed attorneys are subject to discipline. So if a question deals with an unlicensed graduate or unlicensed attorney, they cannot technically be subject to discipline. Note also that first time good faith mistakes probably will not subject the attorney to discipline rather disciplinary boards look for a pattern of violations.
- The general rule, "A lawyer who knows that another lawyer or judge has committed a violation that raises a substantial question of their ability to act as an attorney or judge shall inform the appropriate authority unless the information is privileged". It is important to note a couple of things. A lawyer must know of a violation. Knowledge means a substantial certainty so it's a high standard. Only if an attorney knows for sure must that attorney report and the conduct has to raise a substantial question about the lawyer's ability to act. The MPRE loves to test this, so make sure you understand these two points.
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LESSON 3: The Framework for the MPRE 2 results
- Lesson Three: The Framework for the MPRE. Now we're moving on to discuss a little bit more about what the MPRE tests. So, is professional responsibility just a billion little and arbitrary rules? Yes and no. I want you to think about the larger framework of the rules versus just the individual rules themselves. This will help you think about the questions, sort of seeing the forest through the trees. One of the tensions within the rules is when a problem deals with your duties to the client versus your duties to the court. In that sort of fact situation, your choice is usually going to be to go with the court. But there's always a tension.
- A second tension in the rules is the tension between one client and another client. This situation is often covered by the Conflict of Interest Rules. What happens if one client's interests are in competition with another? Questions on the MPRE often deal with these issues. A third tension is when a problem deals with a client's interests versus those of society. For example, if a client discloses confidential information, but the information relates to a future crime or something that will hurt society, surprisingly, you need to choose the client over society in many cases.
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- Proportionality. This is the proportionality requirement and is very important to consider as many MPRE questions in the past have dealt with this issue. If a question suggests that one lawyer is not doing anything but will receive 50% of the fees, there is a proportionality issue.
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- You may be surprised that you have to know for the MPRE the conduct of judges as well as lawyers, but you do. Luckily, it's fairly basic and if you learn just a few specifics about, for example, how and when a judge can receive compensation for activities, you will do well on this topic.
- Make sure you've read the Judicial Code of Conduct before the MPRE. You really gain a lot by reading through the rules specifically.
- Let's move on to a basic tenet underlying all of the actions of a judge: judges must avoid the appearance of impropriety. You see and hear this phrase often in the MPRE. This is a basic tenet. Now you need to understand a few specifics about this tenet. The following issues come up specifically on the MPRE and we see questions on these specific rules often. A judge cannot make a voluntary appearance as a character witness. That's Code of Judicial Conduct 3.3. A judge cannot be a member of a discriminatory organization. That's Code of Judicial Conduct 3.6. When acting as a judge, a judge cannot make use of non-public information. That's Code of Judicial Conduct 3.5, meaning that a judge cannot talk ex parte with lawyers, also as a separate lawyer or gain information from a private source and consider that information in her decisions. A judge cannot practice law separately from being a judge, Code of Judicial Conduct 3.10.
- Now we'll look at a few more specifics regarding judges, moving on to the next lesson. Lesson Five: Judicial Conduct, Outside Activities. This lesson covers the other most tested area of the MPRE as it relates to the Code of Judicial Conduct: the restrictions on what a judge can and cannot do with regard to outside non-judicial activities. The Judicial Code of Conduct has various restrictions on what activities a judge can participate in when the judge is not being a judge.
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Chapter 5. Simulated MPRE Exams 13 results (showing 5 best matches)
- MPRE Simulated
- End of MPRE Simulated Exam 1.
- Sample MPRE
- C is incorrect because an attorney cannot retain literary rights. (Note: California law may permit such an arrangement. See California Business and Professions Code §§ 6146–6149.5 and California Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 4–200. However, the California rules, while tested on the California Bar Examination, are not tested on the MPRE.)
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Table of Contents 8 results (showing 5 best matches)
- A few other issues that we've seen tested on the MPRE and on regular professional responsibility exams. Note, lawyers who share office space and occasionally consult with each other, will be regarded as a firm if they present themselves to the public in a way that suggest they are a firm. Therefore this can have significant consequences to them for the conflicts of interest provisions. Look for issues of imputed conflicts under 1.10.
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LESSON 18: Zealous Representation 2 results
- Moving on to fairness to opposing party, rule 3.4. Lawyers must not obstruct another party's access to evidence. Lawyers must not ask persons other than their clients or relatives to refrain from giving relevant information to another party. Rules 3.3 and 3.4, perjured or false evidence. This is important, because we see these questions a lot on the MPRE and professional responsibility exams. Lawyers must not falsify evidence or counsel a witness to testify falsely, rule 3.4. They must rectify likely perjury within the pendency of the case. This is rule 3.3.
- An interesting issue comes up under rule 4.4 (b) regarding inadvertent disclosure, an issue that is typically tested on the MPRE and other professional responsibility exams, that of inadvertent disclosure. Rule 4.4 (b) states that a lawyer who receives a document, email, or fax relating to the representation of the lawyer's clients and knows, or reasonably should know, that the document was inadvertently sent, shall promptly notify the sender so the sender can take protective measures. Watch out for this fact pattern involving an inadvertent disclosure. And remember that a lawyer must notify the sender so there is not confidential information that is improperly disclosed.
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A Note on Sources 1 result
- The MPRE tests knowledge, interpretation, and application of the ABA’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA’s Model Code of Judicial Conduct. The ABA’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct (and accompanying Comments) and the ABA’s Model Code of Judicial Conduct (and accompanying Comments) have been adopted as official standards governing legal and judicial conduct in many states, including Delaware. Delaware has also adopted the numbering schemes used by the ABA for both sets of standards. The language and numbering schemes of both the Delaware Lawyers’ Rules of Professional Conduct and the Delaware Judges’ Code of Judicial Conduct are in the public domain. Thus, when using the exact expression of a Rule or Comment in this book (and in the related video series and supplementary material), the language used is from the Delaware Lawyers’ Rules of Professional Conduct or the Delaware Judges’ Code of Judicial Conduct.
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- Publication Date: October 12th, 2022
- ISBN: 9781636592947
- Subject: Professional Responsibility/Ethics
- Series: Academic and Career Success
- Type: Academic/Prof. Development
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Description:
The Weekend MPRE book and video course is designed to prepare users for the MPRE in a single weekend, primarily through thoughtful explanations of the most tested aspects of the rules of professional responsibility. This package includes either a softcover print book or an eBook, along with 12-month digital access to 14 videos, two practice exams, quizzes, and A Short & Happy Guide to the MPRE. This package gives you everything you need to prepare for the MPRE and pass the first time!
New features:- Updated for the New Style MPRE (longer questions)
- Research-based Method for Decoding Complex Questions
- Proven Strategy for Eliminating Wrong Answers