Kim Kardashian is back on her “I’m-going-to-be-a-lawyer-dammit” grind, and this time she’s giving the world exactly what the California Bar never will: transparency. Earlier this month, Kim failed the bar exam, but instead of slinking away, she posted a full emotional montage of her study saga: handwritten notes, panic spirals, and the ugly crying she’s famous for included.
Kim’s video proudly features pages of handwritten notes, as though she just discovered the pedagogical magic of “writing things down.” It’s very earnest. Very “I bought the pastel highlighters so now I’m basically Elle Woods.” Honestly, it’s almost wholesome watching the billionaire who built an empire on overpriced loungewear embrace the radical act of… making flashcards.
Then we get the waterworks. Like, full meltdown. She’s exhausted, terrified, and mumbling about her brain dissolving… which, to be fair, is a universal bar exam experience. She even shows off a back brace, because apparently torts aren’t the only thing causing pain here.
If you’ve ever stared at a bar prep essay question and wondered why your life choices brought you to this moment, congratulations: you and Kim Kardashian now have something in common.
As always, the wild part of the Kardashian bar journey is that she’s not doing this the normal way. No law school. No cold calls. No gunners. She’s apprenticing her way into the legal profession like it’s still 1827. It’s admirable! It’s unconventional! It’s… perhaps not the optimal approach for the nation’s most notoriously sadistic bar exam, but hey, points for dedication.
And Kardashian has documented much of the process on social media. She shared her hatred of con law, struggles with evidence, and a criminal law issue spotter that cast Justin Bieber as a criminal mastermind. She’s complained about the fact that law student life sucks, explained that she neglected her Keeping Up With the Kardashians livetweeting duties to keep up with torts homework, bailed on summer holiday festivities as she continued with her contracts homework, and dealt with personalized questions all about her. She even has a favorite law professor — University of Washington contracts professor Steve Calandrillo — who she’s shouted out on Insta. Kardashian even has her “just like us” moment, like when she posted about shooting tequila while studying torts.
But really this is the most relatable moment in her quest to be a lawyer. Her struggle looks a lot like everyone else’s struggle, minus the millions following her journey, and ready to indulge in schadenfreude when things go pear-shaped.
She’s tired. She’s defeated. She’s still going; Kardashian confirmed she will tackle the notorious exam again. And if Kim Kardashian — a woman who runs five companies, films two shows, and never seems to sleep — can find time to grind out IRACs and memorize hearsay exceptions, then maybe there’s hope for the rest of us.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].