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“The Bar Exam is your day of reckoning. You have dreamt of this. Now, it is here. Give it your best like your life depends on it. Look beyond it, imagine what it will be like after passing it… that’s your future. Claim it!” – Atty. Aliakhbar Jumrani
Interview by Carlo Alfonso Sales | thebarrister
Atty. Aliakhbar Jumrani graduated cum laude from the Silliman University College of Law in 2003and aced the bar examinations with a rating of 83.179% in the same year. Yet, he recalls that studying was not his priority as his moment of truth drew nearer.
“During the pre-week, my physical health was the primary concern while my review was my second,” shares Atty. Jumrani. Having religiously studied for ten hours a day during his bar exam preparations, Atty. Jumrani knew better that the quantity of his review still remained subordinate to its quality. Getting at least seven hours of sleep, keeping a balanced diet, staying hydrated—these self-care practices are what Atty. Jumrani found most helpful not just before the exams, but during the exam week itself.
Indeed, the capacity of the mind will only be as unrestrained as the body will allow it. Beyond that, our willpower will be the sole determinant of the greatness that we can achieve—like passing the bar.
“You cannot falter,” says Atty. Jumrani. “I was able to sustain the study habits by committing to a goal, like a book to be finished, notes to complete, lectures to attend.” Of the ten hours of study he spent in a day, four hours were allotted to afternoon bar review lectures at the San Beda Bar Review Center.
Now, Atty. Jumrani is celebrating 20 years of decorating his legal career with laurels, including teaching at various law schools. He is most notably renowned as a Civil Law Bar Review Lecturer. “I will always be a student of Civil Law though,” he says modestly.
Atty. Jumrani was drawn to Civil Law because of his interest in human relationships—a double-edged sword that posed a challenge when studying Commercial Law and Taxation. He understood the importance of gauging his peculiar strengths and weaknesses, thus giving “double the effort” for the latter subjects. “My efforts paid off,” he reveals. “I got 88 in my Taxation Law exam.”
As to the Bar exam proper, Atty. Jumrani shared that he managed his time for answering by dividing the allocated total hours by the number of questions. He says, “I made sure that I did not use up all the allotted time, so that I could still review my answers before submitting the exam booklet.”
With the advent of technology and artificial intelligence, both legal education and the legal profession have seen radical changes since Atty. Jumrani passed the Bar. Be that as it may, he believes that success in the Bar exams remains perpetually dependent on two things: discipline and determination.
Atty. Jumrani advises, “Teaching methods and student resources may change with time, but these are just tools. Ultimately, it is still the steady and consistent hand that can best use these tools.”
Admittedly, Atty. Jumrani expressed that he wished Bar examinees back then had tools like Facebook, Google Drive and Discord at their disposal to expand their group sharing methods and logistical support. His advice for today’s technology-powered Bar examinees is to be responsible and discerning. “You do not need to read it all,” he says. “Just read a few, especially the comprehensive and credible ones. Ultimately, it is your stock knowledge that will help you in answering the bar exam questions.”
As a professor of law for nearly two decades, Atty. Jumrani recommends to law students that they treat law school exams as dry runs for the Bar exam. Rather than viewing midterm and final exams as opportunities for a “second chance,” students should give their absolute best from the get-go. This approach not only fosters a sense of familiarity with Bar exam conditions, but also encourages students to strive for excellence in every aspect of their legal education.
Atty. Jumrani’s passion for teaching braced the hurdles of the COVID-19 pandemic with “The Hows of Law”, his YouTube channel where he uploads recorded lectures in law for quick accessibility to both law students and Bar examinees then and until now. His only compensation for this labor of love are the sentiments of gratitude expressed by his viewers, some of whom have since become lawyers.
Now that we only have a few days left before the 2023 Bar exams, Atty. Jumrani leaves our Bar examinees with these powerful words of encouragement before they add the coveted “Atty.” to their names: “The Bar Exam is your day of reckoning. You have dreamt of this. Now, it is here. Give it your best like your life depends on it. Look beyond it, imagine what it will be like after passing it… that’s your future. Claim it!”
THE BARRISTER 