The end of this week will be met with a huge sigh of relief from bar exam test-takers around the country. For aspiring lawyers, the end of July is fraught with anxiety about passing the bar. In Ohio, law schools are doing their best to make this experience as pleasant as possible.
Since 2005, an increasing number of Ohio law schools have been hosting what are referred to as “tailgates” or “bar-support lunches” for their alumni who are taking the Ohio Bar Examination. According to a recent article in The Columbus Dispatch what began as a tradition for two law schools has now been adopted by eight of Ohio’s nine law schools in addition to the University of Northern Kentucky. While offerings range from free massages to antacid tablets, the usual spread includes complimentary lunch and snacks.
This year, the majority of schools pitched food tents in the parking lot of the Veterans Memorial in Columbus, a testing site where approximately 1,200 JDs took the bar exam. Three schools, however, rented rooms at the test site to host their catered lunches. A friendly competition, of which no official record is kept from year to year, ensued among Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati and University of Toledo, the schools that setup inside Veterans Memorial.
Perhaps next year, the University of Dayton—the only missing Ohio law school—will join in the festivities.
