Kim Kardashian announced on Tuesday that she has passed the baby bar exam.
“OMFGGGG I PASSED THE BABY BAR EXAM!!!!,” Kim shared on social media. “Looking in the mirror, I am really proud of the woman looking back today in the reflection. For anyone who doesn’t know my law school journey, know this wasn’t easy or handed to me.”
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“I failed this exam 3 times in 2 years, but I got back up each time and studied harder and tried again until I did it!!! (I did have COVID on the 3rd try w a 104 fever but I’m not making excuses). In California, the way I’m studying law you need to take 2 bar exams, this was just the first one but with the harder pass rate. I was told by top lawyers that this was a close to impossible journey and harder than the traditional law school route”
She added, “But it was my only option and it feels so so sooooo good to be here and on my way to achieving my goals.”
Kim Kardashian arrives to receive the Fashion Icon Award from Tracee Ellis Ross during the 2021 E! People’s Choice Awards on December 7, 2021, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California (Credit: MEGA / WENN)
Kim Kardashian West has achieved a lot in her career, from being a hit on reality TV to several product lines like Skims and sponsored deals.
Then, she surprised all of us when she announced she would study to become a lawyer.
Kim Kardashian in a brown onesie with buttons from Skims posing with a Christmas as she offers parents advice on Christmas shopping for kids’ presents (Credit: Hobbytron / Mega / WENN)
She took the non-traditional route and studied without attending law school. Over several years, the reality star worked alongside lawyers to pass the baby bar, a non-traditional law school exam.
Kim Kardashian in a figure-hugging black Balenciaga outfit to show her support for Kanye West at his album launch party in Atlanta on August 5, 2021 (Credit: MEGA / WENN)
Everything was going well until she failed the bar exam three times. Let’s dive into why…
Kim Kardashian’s Inspiration for Pursuing a Legal Career
Kim grew up in a family with her father, Robert Kardashian, the famed lawyer who represented former football running back O. J. Simpson. She saw his incredible work throughout his career as an attorney and was greatly inspired by him.
She’s always been interested in law, which grew even more once she had children. Kim has stated that she wants to become a lawyer to protect her children.
During an interview with CR Fashion Book in February 2020, Kim stated “Now, I feel like I have a duty to myself and to my children more than the public and I want to be a good role model for my kids. I’m raising four black kids in this society and our system is so discriminatory against black and brown people. I want to do as much as I can to make their lives easier. I never knew much about the system until I started to dig in, and once I learned and saw how many things were wrong, I really couldn’t stop.”
Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West kissing at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (Credit: Avalon / WENN)
Over the last several years, Kim has been working hard in the prison reform field.
She has successfully obtained early releases for several inmates who are either nonviolent offenders or wrongly convicted of crimes. This continues to drive her passion for becoming a lawyer.
On November 18, 2021, Julius Jones’s death sentence was dramatically commuted just hours before he was due to be executed after Kim Kardashian and other celebrities joined his family and supporters in pleading for his life (Credit: MEGA / WENN)
How Kim Kardashian Balanced Studying with Her Busy Life
Given her hectic life, finding time to study proved quite challenging from time to time. On her former reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, she mentioned studying for 10-12 hours daily to prepare for the baby bar exam.
In addition, she was required to have 18 hours of supervised law work per week to meet the criteria for becoming a lawyer through the non-traditional route. This is no small feat for someone who runs an empire and has four small children at home.
Kim Kardashian in a min-green animal-print dress from the Versace Archives at the 2019 E! People’s Choice Awards (Credit: WENN / Avalon)
Jessica Jackson and Erin Haney are the two powerhouse female lawyers who worked with Kim to obtain her law degree.
“Thank u to Van Jones who talked me into going to law school in the 1st place & introducing me to Jessica Jackson & Erin Haney who have brought me along to watch their every move in the courtroom. I appreciate u for letting me tag along & ask all of the little questions along the way,” Kim wrote after passing the baby bar.
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Van Jones is a CNN political commentator who worked with Kim Kardashian to pass the criminal justice reform bill First Step Act.
Kim and her mentor lawyers traveled back and forth to study and work together to meet the 18 required hours per week.
Kim said, “My weekends are spent away from my kids while I read and study. I work all day, put my kids to bed, and spend my nights studying.”
Kim Kardashian’s Non-Traditional Path to Becoming a Lawyer
But let’s take a step back…Kim has no college degree, so you may wonder how she could become a lawyer. Depending on the state you’re in, certain states allow an alternative path to becoming a lawyer. This path is known as “reading the law.”
Kim Kardashian revealed in June 2021 that she failed the ‘baby bar’ for the second time (Credit: WENN / Avalon)
You do this by practicing the skill under the supervision of a mentor lawyer or a judge. This practice has existed long before college law degrees existed, and California, Kim’s state of residence, allows it.
Understanding the Baby Bar Exam
Part of Kim’s requirement for becoming a lawyer involves passing the baby bar, which is another name for the First-Year Law Students’ Examination (FYLSE). The State Bar of California administers the baby bar a few times per year.
This exam was created specifically for those studying law, those on the nontraditional route at unaccredited law schools, or those in the Law Office Study Program, like Kim. So, regular law school students obtaining a law degree from a standard university do not have to take the baby bar.
The exam is referred to as the baby bar because it’s designed to train and safeguard law students who are early in their education, unlike the state bar exam for traditional law degree students. It has both essay-style and multiple-choice questions, just like the regular bar exam.
Kim Kardashian is trying to become a lawyer without going to law school (Credit: Avalon / WENN)
It covers topics in contracts, criminal law, and torts. The baby bar focuses on general law instead of California-specific law. Often, people state that it is more challenging than the actual bar exam.
Details on the Baby Bar Exam Duration and Pass Rates
Each time Kim tried, she had to sit for an entire day and take the seven-hour exam. It contains four-hour-long essay sections that are weighted equally and multiple-choice questions.
A student must have a 560 or higher (70%) to pass the baby bar. Kim says she failed three times before passing.
Kim Kardashian is learning through an apprenticeship to become a lawyer (Credit: FayesVision / WENN)
Unfortunately, the baby bar does not have a high pass rate, with the rate being at 20%. Knowing this, it’s not surprising that Kim had a hard time passing despite all the studying she did, not to mention that she had COVID-19 the third time she took it.
Kim Kardashian’s Response to Failing the Baby Bar Exam
Not surprisingly, Kim revealed how bummed she was after not passing the baby bar on an episode of her reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
“I feel bummed, like totally bummed,” she said in the episode. “It is what it is, I know I just have to not stress about it, there’s so many other f—— things, stressful things, going on, I just have to do better in the future.”
Kim Kardashian can become a lawyer in California because the state does not require a law degree as a prerequisite for taking the bar exam (Credit: WENN / Avalon)
Kim then beat herself up over it to her sister Khloe, and Khloe reminded her how much was going on in her life at the time on a personal and professional level. On top of dealing with COVID-19, her relationship with her then-husband, Kanye, was suffering.
After failing, Kim told her fans that while the baby bar situation was challenging, she would be retaking it. “Unfortunately, I haven’t passed yet, but I’m not giving up,” she shared on Instagram. “I’m preparing to take it again soon.”
What’s Next for Kim Kardashian After Passing the Baby Bar?
Despite juggling numerous business ventures and life challenges, Kim Kardashian West plans to open her own law firm. She aims to hire individuals she has helped free from wrongful incarceration, giving them a renewed opportunity at life.