Ca Bar Style — Local services in Los Angeles

Update in response to Shana's response: Sorry, but your claims are inaccurate - I submitted assignments until at least the beginning of June and scored just fine which is 5-6 months out of your 7 month program. Secondly, I was a practicing and called lawyer for over 2 years in my home country so your comments suggesting that I could not handle the rigour of your frankly inadequate program are misguided. I never said I was forced to pay for your program - I chose it, paid for it, experienced it, and have now chosen to write a review opining that for what the program offers, it is an egregious amount of money to charge. Lastly, as the owner of the tutoring company, claiming that your materials are unmatched in the space is hardly an objective evaluation of the program.

Original Review

This program is outrageously priced - no bar prep program should cost $8600 USD - this is more than I paid in tuition for a semester of law school in my home country. It was absolutely not worth it in my opinion for the reasons below;

The materials are extremely long and in my opinion, disorganized/hard to read (more a personal preference); I also note that at times the law is wrong (for example, the Real Property outline had a mistake that was brought to Shana's attention both during my bar prep as well as my September 2024 meeting with Shana). The program also encourages the use of Essay Approaches which are full-sentence outlines to deal with different essay topics on the CA Bar Exam. The approaches help with understanding structure, but in my opinion, they were far too wordy and unhelpful for memorization/prepping. There is SO much to memorize for this exam in the first place - memorizing full sentences for certain essay topics was far too cumbersome and pointless in my opinion. It's clear that different answers with different definitions/approaches on the essays do perfectly fine scoring-wise on the exam, and so I wish the focus was not simply on how the approaches are the best way to study;

I didn't find this program tailored to different learning styles - the 30 minute tutoring sessions with Shana were, for me, unhelpful as I didn't feel as though I got the chance to actually express the concerns that I, individually, was having with bar prep. The focus is more on reviewing the work you have submitted and getting feedback on the same. Furthermore, in the package, there are only two 30 minute sessions with Shana during the entirety of Bar Prep. This is clearly mentioned in their contract, but again, I don't think the cost is worth that at all;

The memorization schedule is tailored to one type of learning style - as someone who needed spaced repetition in law school to solidify and memorize concepts, Shana's memorization schedule was wholly unsuitable for me;

I did not care for Shana's MBE approach - the majority of the program is tailored towards essay writing. Apart from Shana's methodology to do questions repeatedly in sets until you see a score increase, there is no specific tutoring or advice on how to attack the MBE portion of the exam; and

The tutoring style was not for me - as discussed with Shana in September 2024, I personally did not need encouragement/words of advice about self-care during the bar prep journey. Shana does this because she cares about her students, but it was not the kind of tutoring I needed.

While I am certain that Shana cares about her students, her tutoring style/the program was not the right fit for me and how I learn. Overall, I would absolutely not recommend CA Bar Style to anyone preparing for the...

I want to share with you why I'm so happy I went with CA Bar style for my bar prep. Not only did I pass on my first attempt at the CA Bar, but I did it fully seven years out of law school using only her materials. Shana Karpeles truly merits your business.

I was lucky to discover Shana on the internet searching for resources, and after seeing a few examples of Shana's lectures on YouTube, I could tell her style was right for me. She's so clear, so focused, so professional, but also so human.

Her skill and command of the law is contagious and inspiring. I cannot speak highly enough of the quality of her focused materials. She's honed her talents into a precision machine focused on passing her students no matter their challenges. I can't fully describe just what a consummate and caring professional she is--a true credit to the bar. Even while teaching substance, she would insert small bits of helpful advice, such as "always do right" in the context of professionalism, or give helpful stories from her own practice about how the law works in real California courts. I look up to her as any leader I've been inspired by in the law.

This lady knows the bar examination, and will treat you as the individual you are, and help you orient and adapt. You can confidently build trust with her. Every single thing she said was spot on, even when nobody knew what was going to happen in the first online bar examination. How does she do it? I could say she's magic, but that level of professional skill always dazzles. She's simply that good.

You'll understand that small typos and other foibles don't make or break you on the bar exam, and the small typos that may exist do not detract from the quality or accuracy of the information. I tried BarBri and other materials, but Shana's stuff is so much more focused and on point. I abandoned everything except for her materials, and I credit her approach for what got me to pass in a single attempt after being out of law school for so long. I basically went from zero to licensed under her instruction.

Helping others during what is usually one of the most difficult trials of their career is a task that should only be entrusted to the best. But she is 2020 strong, and that takes something extra special to keep you focused even when the world around you is literally on fire. She is such an incredible gem. I'll...

When I first heard about Shana I looked at her videos and instantly I felt drawn to her course because I felt that she truly spoke my language! I had tried the Barbri program and it was nothing like her program. I wish that I would've known about CA bar style long ago as it would've alleviated so much emotional turmoil.

When I first signed up for the bootcamp I was scared at the thought of only having 5 weeks to prepare. However, Shana said don't worry you are within the point range and I WILL GET YOU THERE! I felt a sense of comfort knowing that she believed in me and that my essays were indeed up to par. However, A few weeks into the bootcamp I met with Shana for a FT where we reviewed my essays. The FT began with a somber tone as she told me that I didn't seem to be grasping the approaches. I worriedly asked her if she thought I would be ready in time for the exam. She told me that it was up to me to really buckle down and get it together. She truly lit the fire in my soul and as I took the exam I remember her voice telling me to keep going!!!

The moment I received access to her program I was in awe! Shana's videos are about 20 minutes long and they are straight to the point as she walks you through each subject and how to handle each topic on the essay. Her outlines truly show you how to write a lawyerly response for the bar exam as she tells you this is your intro, this is your argument, this is your defense, etc. The best part about the bootcamp is that every single day is accounted for. You must watch the videos, learn the approach, and write the essays. The essay feedback was amazing as it was very detailed and quite frankly their grading made it feel similar to a bar grader.

In regards to the MBE's Shana teaches you how to track your progress in a way that not even Adaptibar can teach. When I first started the bootcamp I was averaging about 60% on the MBE's and by the time I took the February bar after having followed her approach I was averaging about 80%.

Overall my experience with Shana and her team was truly a dream come true. I owe my success story to them for giving me the tools that were necessary to pass the...