A Lawyer Walks into a Bar

A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar... is a 2007 independent film about lawyers, law school, the California Bar exam, and the obsession America has with its legal system. The film has garnered many positive reviews including coverage from The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News, Premiere.com and on nationally syndicated television show At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper.[1][2][3][4]

A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar...
Directed byEric Chaikin
Produced byTasha Oldham
Eric Chaikin
StarringAlan Dershowitz
Joe Jamail
Mark Lanier
Robert Shapiro
Nancy Grace
Len Jacoby
Eddie Griffin
Michael Ian Black
Sam Garrett
Tricia Zunker
Donald Baumeister
Magda Madrigal
Megan Meadows
Cassandra Hooks
Chad Troutwine
Music byDaniel Fickle
CinematographyStephanie Martin
Edited byDeborah Barkow
Distributed byCamel's Back Films
Release date
  • March 27, 2007 (2007-03-27) (AFI Dallas International Film Festival)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Film content

This film highlights the trials and tribulations of trying to pass the State Bar of California exam and follows six wanna-be lawyers struggling to prepare and actually pass the test with the lowest national pass rate.[5] One of the test takers in the documentary is Donald Baumeister, an ex-Marine, who had failed the California bar 41 times and is shown in the movie gearing up for attempt #42. A working father, Baumeister never had the time to properly study for the exam.[1]

This movie portrays a common perception of American life – that, in the time of trouble, whether it be civil or criminal, Americans depend on lawyers to navigate the tough waters of today’s judicial system.[6]

Festival accolades

A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar... has won awards at many independent film festivals including the Grand Jury Prize at AFI Dallas's Texas Competition, and Boulder Colorado's Toofy Fest's Best Narrative Feature.[7][8]

A focus on minorities

A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar... is a movie that not only portrays the fight of the average law school student, but also of the minority and not so fortunate law student trying to pass and be admitted to a major state bar. The movie follows Magda Madrigal as she attends Peoples College of Law so that she can take the bar and be an advocate for people in her local Hispanic community.[9]

Cast of characters

Meagan Meadows and Cassandra Hooks are shown passing the July 2006 Bar examination in the movie.[10][11] Unfortunately for the rest of those followed for the July 2006 Bar Exam, Donald Baumeister failed the bar for the 42nd time and Sam Garrett failed it for the third time. Magda Madrigal did not take the July 2006 exam because the State Bar determined that she had not taken enough units at Peoples College of Law, an unaccredited law school.

The movie does follow-up with the subsequent exam and shares that Tricia Zunker successfully passed the February 2007 California Bar,[12] but neither Donald Baumeister, Sam Garrett nor Madga Madrigal passed at that time.

While not shown in the movie, the California Bar shows that Ms. Madrigal did pass the July 2009 Bar Exam.[13] Sam Garrett passed the New Jersey Bar Exam in May 2009 and the California Bar Exam in February 2011. He was admitted to the California Bar on October 27, 2011.[14]

Where are they now?

Mr. Baumeister is an Educational Consultant at Integrative Medical Institute of Orange County as well as an instructor at California State University, Los Angeles and Chapman University.[15]

Mr. Garrett was vice-president of Bienvenidos Immigration Services in Los Angeles.[16][17] He is now in solo practice in New York.[18]

Ms. Hooks is a senior associate at the law firm of Alston & Bird in Los Angeles.[19]

Ms. Madrigal is the managing attorney at Los Angeles offices of BASTA, Inc.[20]

Ms. Meadows currently works at the PR firm of Gallagher & Gallagher in Los Angeles.[10]

Ms. Zunker is in solo practice with the Zunker Law Group in Santa Monica.[21]

References
  1. Koppel, Nathan (February 23, 2007). "Wall Street Journal: Bar Exam, The Movie!". The Wall Street Journal. February 23, 2007
  2. "Filmmakers Put to the Test". Dallas Morning News, January 26, 2007
  3. "SXSW Roundup Day 8". Archived from the original on 2010-06-06. March 17, 2007
  4. "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, Now on DVD". Archived from the original on 2007-10-02. At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, September 22, 2007
  5. "A Lawyer Walks Into A Bar!". Counsel to Counsel, March 14, 2007
  6. "On Lawyers". YouTube, June 21, 2007
  7. "AFI Dallas Awards 2007". Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. AFI Dallas April 1, 2007
  8. "Toofy Fest Awards 2007". Archived from the original on 2007-12-09. Retrieved 2007-10-02. Toofy Fest Boulder CO September 9, 2007
  9. "So, This Lawyer Walks Into A Bar". ABA Journal, June 21, 2007
  10. http://members.calbar.ca.gov/search/member_detail.aspx?x=245033
  11. http://members.calbar.ca.gov/search/member_detail.aspx?x=244471
  12. http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/Member/Detail/249575
  13. http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/Member/Detail/264637
  14. http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/Member/Detail/277789
  15. http://www.linkedin.com/in/integrativemedicalbaumeister
  16. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-08-12. Retrieved 2011-06-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. https://www.facebook.com/samugarrett
  18. http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/Member/Detail/277789
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-06-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. https://basta.org/attorneys/
  21. http://www.zunkerlawgroup.com/
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