The Bar Code Cheat Sheets, 5th Edition: by Whitney Roberts
The Bar Code Cheat Sheets are templates designed for the larger, more complex issues tested on the essay section of the California Bar Exam. They are roadmaps that outline the organizational structure students should follow for a variety of selected topics. They are intended to be “plug-and-play,” with the advantage of reducing critical thinking and organizing time at the outset of each essay.
In addition to the template, each Cheat Sheet contains endnotes that offer memorable and time-tested tips for analyzing frequently-tested principles, as well as warnings of common traps and pitfalls. Following each template is a sample answer written by Whitney Roberts, former California Bar Exam Grader and former Bar Exam Tutor, specifically designed to show students how to write passing answers within the one-hour time limit.
The Cheat Sheets were created, in part, to fill a gap in the industry left by larger bar review courses that provide students with copious amounts of concepts to master, but little guidance on how to convert them into intelligent, time-sensitive answers. They are popular with bar exam and law school students alike, providing not just a boost for finishing faster, but also much-needed clarity on how the scattered legal principles fit together like a glove.
As with all Bar Code study aids, the Cheat Sheets are designed to be a supplement, not a substitute, for a law school textbook or full service bar review course. The topic list is not exhaustive, but the result of careful curation of the most troublesome and frequently-tested subjects.
A full Table of Contents is provided below.
Torts: Negligence
Torts: Defamation
Torts: Products Liability
Torts: Privacy
Torts: Vicarious Liability
Contracts: General Approach to all Contracts Questions
Contracts: Contracts Formation
Contracts: Monetary Damages
Evidence: Relevance
Evidence: Hearsay
Evidence: Character
Evidence: Objections
Property: Deeds
Property: Easements
Property: Landlord-Tenant General Approach
Property: Covenants and Servitudes
Constitutional Law: Standing and State Action
Constitutional Law: Speech
Constitutional Law: Religion (Establishment Clause and Free Exercise)
Constitutional Law: Equal Protection
Constitutional Law: Substantive Due Process
Constitutional Law: The Dormant Commerce Clause
Constitutional Law: Supremacy Clause
Criminal Law: Murder
Criminal Procedure: Search and Seizure (4 th & 5 th Amendments)
Criminal Procedure: Incriminating Statements (5 th & 14 th Amendments)
Civil Procedure: Personal Jurisdiction
Civil Procedure: Subject Matter Jurisdiction
Civil Procedure: The Erie Doctrine
Civil Procedure: Joinder
Corporations: 10(b)(5)
Corporation: Duties of Care and Loyalty
Professional Responsibility: Conflicts of Interest
Remedies: Injunctive Relief
Remedies: Specific Performance
Community Property: General Approach to all Questions
Community Property: Van Camp/Pereira
Wills: Will Formation
Trusts: Trusts
Agency: Agency for Contracts
Partnership: Partnership Approach