Are Lawyers Smarter Than 8 Year Olds?
March 7th, 2008 at 10:07am Mark Noonan
Brazil’s lawyers have been shocked to find that a boy aged eight has managed to pass the entrance exam to law school.
The Bar Association said the achievement of Joao Victor Portellinha should be taken as a warning about the low standards of some of Brazil’s law schools.
“If this is confirmed, the Education Ministry should immediately intervene … to investigate the circumstances of this case,” said the association’s president in Goias state, Miguel Angelo Cancado.
Joao Victor is still in fifth grade, two levels ahead of normal for his age, but his mother says he is not a cloistered genius. “He is a regular boy,” she told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper. “He is very dedicated, likes to read and study, but he has fun and makes friends.”
I can’t but feel that this might be more universal in law schools than we suspect…at any rate, it would explain a lot of things, especially how John Edwards and the rest of the ambulance chasers managed to get into law school…
Entry Filed under: Popular Culture
25 Comments
1. Are Lawyers Smarter Than &hellip | March 7th, 2008 at 10:28 am
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2. Ricorun | March 7th, 2008 at 10:29 am
I wonder if they call the kid Doogie. I wonder if Mark would like to take a stab at the test.
3. kjstrouble | March 7th, 2008 at 10:37 am
And Rico just proved that he has a problem with distinguishing fact from fiction. “Doogie” is fiction, and I bet Mark would do better on the test than you would.
4. SEW | March 7th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Need more evidence? Just read any of Sunny’s posts here.
5. Ricorun | March 7th, 2008 at 11:02 am
The nation’s youngest college student is Michael Kearney, who enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College when he was only 6 years, 7 months old. He made the Guinness Book of World Records after graduating from the University of South Alabama at age 10, earning a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. He followed that with a master’s in biochemistry, graduating at age 14 from Middle Tennessee State University.
That’s not fiction. And there are plenty of other stories of the same ilk. Mark’s argument is that because an 8-year-old could pass the entrance exam to a law school in Brazil, it reflected poorly on the law school (or lawyers in general), not well on the kid. Maybe it’s both. I don’t know. But without more information I’m inclined to go with the kid.
6. Sunny | March 7th, 2008 at 11:04 am
SEW, when was the last time you sat for the LSAT or Bar Exam?
7. SEW | March 7th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
“Brazil’s lawyers have been shocked to find that a boy aged eight has managed to pass the entrance exam to law school.”
“So I decided to take the test to see how I would do … it was easy. I studied a week before the test.”
8. Joe | March 7th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
The article was about a bar exam IN BRAZIL.
Who cares?
Since every thread on this blog (“Blogs for Blaming Democrats”) must always bring up a Democrat, Mark tries bringing in John Edwards on this.
Edwards did get into Law school. Did you?
Aren’t there more important things to blog about? You know like……. the largest drop in jobs in 5 yrs? Maybe the fact that foreclosures are at an all-time high - Even higher than expected? Maybe the fact that gas is potentially getting up to $4 a gallon this summer?
9. SEW | March 7th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
“Aren’t there more important things to blog about? You know like……. the largest drop in jobs in 5 yrs? Maybe the fact that foreclosures are at an all-time high - Even higher than expected? Maybe the fact that gas is potentially getting up to $4 a gallon this summer?” Joe
Start your blog and stop polluting others. Progressives, whine and have zero solutions.
10. SEW | March 7th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
“The article was about a bar exam IN BRAZIL”
We still have the 46th state of the Union.
The land thief state.
11. eric | March 7th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Way to insult attorneys, Mark. Unfortunately, I agree with Sunny and Joe. Thinking you can link the alleged failings of the Brazil law school entrance exam to U.S. law schools and lawyers is weaker than 3.2 beer.
And, while I may not agree with anything that John Edwards stands for, I do respect the fact that he graduated law school and passed the bar exam. Those are not the easiest of tasks. Trust me. I know. I took two different bar exams and passed both.
12. Martin | March 7th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
By your litmus test, this explains how John Roberts, Sam Alito, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia got into law school as well.
Great post, Mark. Keep ‘em coming…..
13. Rana Quijotesca | March 7th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
So… you are using the legal standards in Brazil and generalizing them to America… wow… that’s moronic…
14. SEW | March 7th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Liberals want to increase our standing in the world but bash the legal profession in Brazil! Pathetic!
Where is the proof Brazil standards are below US standards? The world dislikes the arrogance of Americans, and here the progressives are displaying their arrogance by bashing Brazil and claiming American superiority! Pathetic!
15. Joe | March 7th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
SEW, you truly are comical.
Is that actual outrage that liberals are “bashing the legal profession in Brazil”?
Since when is MARK a liberal???
The actual Liberals that have posted are saying that Mark tying Brazil’s legal profession to the U.S. is dumb.
I seriously can’t tell… is that real outrage you are displaying over this? You are too funny.
16. Joe | March 7th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
It sure seems like Mark and SEW are just REALLY grasping at straws to blame Democrats for something. I guess all they can find is a fluke issue with the Brazilian bar exam.
17. SEW | March 7th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Joe is showing his racism again. Racist against the Religion of Peace when someone uses the legally given name of Hussein, and racist against Brazilians claiming intellectual inferority.
18. Joe | March 7th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
SEW, what the hell are you talking about? You need to think before typing.
OK…. enough Brazilian bar exams.
Next topic.
19. SEW | March 7th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
“I seriously can’t tell… is that real outrage you are displaying over this? You are too funny.”
Just using a few ridiculous plays from my liberal play book.
20. phnx | March 7th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I agree that passing the bar exam is an accomplishment. Its something JFK jr failed to do on six tries and former Tennessee Congressman and current chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) Harold Ford has yet to accomplish.
Even the world’s smartest woman Hillary Clinton failed the bar exam in 1973. And now she wants to be President?
21. Sunny | March 7th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I am not sure that it is relevant that Hillary Clinton failed the Washington DC bar exam. She did pass the Arkansas Bar. I couldn’t vote for her either even if she had passed the DC bar exam. George Bush applied to the University of Texas Law School and they would not accept him. That is why he ended up getting a MBA instead. And he has been the president for the past seven plus years. However, Barak Obama did graduate from Harvard Law School, having served as the Law Review President. For those of you unfamiliar with law schools, this position only goes to the top students. He graduated with honors. I agree that he is liberal in his political views, but he is truly a very intelligent man. His wife also graduated from Harvard Law School.
22. Ricorun | March 7th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Umm… the kid passed an entrance exam, not a bar exam. Big difference. Y’all do understand that, right? If not then, well… maybe law school isn’t a good choice. Lol!
23. Casper | March 7th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
“Umm… the kid passed an entrance exam, not a bar exam. ”
What are you saying Rico? The kid might actually have to take some classes before he gets to practice law. LOL
24. Mortimer | March 8th, 2008 at 12:01 am
I guess that includes Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin too?
25. Kahn | March 8th, 2008 at 1:46 am
http://www.scroom.com/SCROOMtimes/Humor/Lawyer.shtml