Customer Reviews

Barman: Ping-Pong, Pathos, and Passing the Bar

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

There comes a time in the education of all law school students when they ask themselves: is it too late to fake my death, change names and become a janitor? Alex Wellen's BARMAN perfectly captures the soul-sucking process that precipitates this question. In his very funny memoir, Wellen recounts dealing with the quiet humiliations of attending a second tier law school, scoring a demeaning summer internship, cramming for the New York bar exam and landing his First Big Job-- sorting through documents in a stuffy room without windows. A dash of "Sex in the City" is woven throughout as well, as Wellen grapples with the challenges of building relationships and a professional identity at the same time. Most of all, this is an awfully well-rounded coming of age tale that will appeal to everyone, but particularly to anyone mulling a legal career. Proceed not lest ye read this book!

picked up 'Barman' looking for information, any information, on what law school, post law school experiences were like for someone not coming from Yale or Harvard. What I learned from Alex Wellen's book was not just what the process of becoming a lawyer was like, because during the process--with he relates with wit and honesty--Wellen seemed to discover for himself that passing the bar, and becoming a lawyer didn't necessarily define who he was or his worth. It didn't change who he was. I think it's worth remembering for anyone considering law school. What I got out of reading 'Barman' was that if I try, whether I fail or succeed, I will come out a different person on the other side of the experience, but still a person; one with value and who deserves happiness. It's a healthy way to approach law school, life or any other challenge, and maintain a sense of self without getting swallowed up by the process. I'm sure it's a book I'll refer to again as I continue my own process of getting into law school, and beyond.

It's nearly a decade since I started law school, and over five years since I sat for the New York bar exam. The novelty of "Barman" lies in the fact that its author, unlike the writers of "The Paper Chase" and "One-L", didn't go to a top tier law school. Alex Wellen went to Temple, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a second tier school. I can do the author one better -- my midwestern law school didn't reach Tier 2 until after I graduated, and dropped out again this year. I also didn't finish in the top 10% of my class, as did Wellen, and had to wait a lot longer to land with a NYC law firm. So my philosophy from the first chapter was that while Wellen may have had it rough, he still had a comparatively easy time compared to many of us among the great unwashed.

As I was familiar with Wellen's journey, I paid more attention to the mechanics of his writing, bearing in mind his opening caution that his book was inspired by true events. Most readers may not know, for example, that Wellen described taking a portion of the New York bar exam (the multistate performance test) that wasn't introduced until several years later. Also, the thinly-veiled description of his law firm becomes even thinner if you study the patent on the final page of the book (this may have been intentional, of course). Finally, after describing every moment of his nine month journey from law school graduation through swearing-in to the bar, Wellen informs us in a very brief quota that he quit the profession less than a year later.

I mention these points only to praise with faint damns. I can't think of too many other things wrong with "Barman". Wellen captures the emotional spiral of studying for the bar quite effectively. So too does he capture the dread of waiting for results, and of looking for signs and portents in such miniscule details as the size of the envelope in which his results were delivered. The state of Michigan pulled a similar nasty trick on me in November 1998.

One final caveat: Large portions of this book escape the law altogether. Whereas One-L hardly ever ventured beyond the Harvard campus, Barman stretches from the wild West of Oregon to hostel laundry rooms in Western Europe. We get a lot of stories from Wellen's social life (most of his girlfriends did not wait for the third date to express their affection) as well as his slapstick attempts to convert his TriBeCa loft into a swingin' bachelor pad. These episodes add texture to Wellen's law school routine and help prevent the book from becoming monotonous.

Girlfriends of potential law students may cast off their worries, however: not all of us who survived law school had as much fun as Wellen.

I've read basically every major law school book (1L, Anarchy and Elegance, Planet Law School etc.) and this is my favorite. It's the most real. Alex Wellen has a refreshing and inspiring take on law school and life as a new associate. It's also pretty damn funny (I actually read some parts out loud to my mother and girlfriend and they were really cracking up). It's easy to get jaded vert quickly by law school and the early stages of the job process and this book is a must read for anyone in need of a good laugh about the lunacy of the whole experience.

FIVE (5) TYPES of people should absolutely purchase BARMAN: 1) ASPIRING law school students; 2) CURRENT law school students; 3) ANYONE who has ever taken a bar exam and enjoys a good laugh, or cry; 4) ATTORNEYS who would enjoy reminiscing about the beginnings of their legal careers; 5) LAW PROFESSORS so that they may reaquaint themselves with this painful and at times absurd process. If you don't fall into any one of the FIVE TYPES above but know someone who does buy it for them- it's a great primer for the legal wannabe.

BARMAN is funny, honest, and best of all accurate in its portrayal of typical law school life and the birthing process of "baby" lawyers via the bar exam. The best part of the story is that the author's experiences are "par for the course" when it comes to the majority of law school students. Wellen attended a good but not "great" law school. Readers will relate to Wellen's story because most of us did not get into our "dream" school. What unfolds in BARMAN is a story that 98% of law school types will immediately recognize as true. That is why BARMAN will endure as recommended reading for those who think that they want to become a lawyer.

Alex Wellen has captured the American Law School Experience. More than that - Alex has written a compelling modern coming-of-age tale. This is a must read for anyone in law school, considering lawschool, and anyone who just wants to enjoy themselves immersed in a good book! Laugh endlessly while reflecting on the greater meaning of life. Discover that the end is worth the journey, and the journey doesn't always end where you think it will.

This book was the most self-indulgent, meandering, boring piece of self-congratulation that I have read in YEARS.
** Spoiler alert **
The actual story in this book can be told in less than a page: Guy goes to a law school that he feels inferior for attending. He then takes the bar, finds it hard. He then gets a well-paid internship and waits months for the results while womanizing, drinking, and detailing every non-event in his narrow life. Many of his friends don't pass the bar, but guess what? Trust me, the end won't be a big surprise. When there's ten pages left in the book, and you still "don't know" if he passed the bar or not, it's natural to assume that the book won't end with our main character holding his head in his hands, mourning his failed career in law. (Although that would be the greatest ending EVER for this book, as it would provide some catharsis for the reader).
Essentially what grates so much about this book is not the painfully long boring asides about the author's mundane personal life (although the rambling, frat-boy anecdotes set my teeth on edge), but the sheer arrogance of the narrative voice. This is an author that uses cutesy names to express his respectful affection for his parents, and in the next breath explains how he and his buddies rank unsuspecting women at parties or on the street (using terms like "bring it" or "keep it") Ick. We are regaled with stories about his robust dating life, but these stories always end with character slurs on the women he dates, or some mutual parting of the ways (yeah, right), never a moment of rejection or honesty. When we finally reach the breathless denouement of the story and learn whether or not he passed the bar (whoop-dee-do), we are treated to a little after-word about the author's sucess in contributing to an obsure cable television show (take THAT doubters!). Actually, I think he should have called this book "Take That, Doubters". And he should have dedicated it to himself, since obviously he has some sort of a complex about his competence. Honestly, who cares? (That would be my second choice of title for this book, "Who Cares? Tales Of A Narcissistic Lawyer") The only interesting thing in this book is the in-depth description of a standardized test (the bar). That isn't enough to create a compelling novel, which brings me back to the title of this review...

Like other reviewers have said he does bitch about his law school ranking throughout the entire book. Stating the rank of everyone he meets law school gets annoying. Other than that it is a very good book. I have read several books that are very similar to this... law school, law firm.... but the main focus in BARMAN was... the bar exam (if you couldn't tell) which is rarely in other similar books, so its nice to see that part of the story. GOOD BOOK.

A great primer for anyone of any age contamplating law school or preparing for the Bar. A great read--one you will pass on, again and again. Buy this book!

As a graduating law student that is panicking about the prospect of taking the bar, this was a perfect book to read right now. It was a light and funny easy read that provided some much needed comic relief as well as even some unexpected insight.

I definately think this book is probably much more amusing for law students, lawyers, or people who have lawyers or law students in their family -- the author puts to words a common experience that so many have faced. I might think that for some non-lawyers certain passages or details about substantive law or even the bar exam might seem unnecessarily drawn out. (actually, that might be true for the legal readers also). (However, there were only a handful of those, and on balance the book gives the non-lawyer clear insight into this world).

Overall, the author is able to articulate with great clarity the peculiarities of legal culture, and its own hierarchy. Also, as some reviewers have noted, I was pleased how he does not unnecessarily go out of his way to be hypercritical about the legal profession. Not that its bad to be critical, but you don't necessarily want to read hundreds of pages of someone else's rant about their disenchantment -- which is what I was originally afraid it would be. Wellen point outs the profession's flaws with appropriate irreverence, but his tone is very even and is more in the manner of descriibng something for what it is and letting the reader decide what their conclusions are. And you get the sense overall that he does have respect for the profession, although I note in the jacket cover that he no longer practices.

Overall, it was a good fun book.