Failed The Bar Exam? Plenty Of Successful Lawyers Have Failed Too!

Don't let it get you down.

Eleven years ago, I failed my first attempt at the New York Bar Exam. I thought that meant I was destined to be a failed lawyer. But as it turns out, many successful lawyers have also failed. They just never talk about it. …

So here’s my message to all of you: Many of the lawyers you admire and respect, who look incredibly successful to you, also failed the bar exam. A single test doesn’t make or break you. So what will you do? How will you respond? What you do next is what ultimately matters.

Alex Su, an attorney influencer and former Sullivan & Cromwell associate, offering words of wisdom to those who recently failed the New York bar exam. Su has 2.4 million likes on TikTok.


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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