So, the $600 I paid to TAKE the exam apparently wasn't enough . . .

So I passed the bar and got sworn in on Monday.  And apparently the first thing I need to do as a new lawyer is PAY MORE MONEY.  Apparently, the $600 I paid to take the exam didn't quite cover the cost of me practicing law.  I have to shell out another $250 or so just to join the bar--even after taking the exam.

Of further annoyance is the stupid letter that the State Bar sent us.  There's only one letter that's mailed to new attorneys, but it apparently is way, way too simple to say "You owe 259.69.  Here's what it includes."  Instead, you have to read over arduous notations like "In 1995, during the 74th session, the Texas Legislature amended Subchapter H, Chapter 191 of the Tax Code requiring the Supreme Court to administer and collect the attorney occupation tax."  After a few lines, it tells us the amount ($200.00), but then takes another half a page to tell us it's pro-rated and that November-licensed attorneys (the ONLY ones who would be receiving this letter in teh first place) need only pay a fraction o f this.

I, even with my nascent lawyering skills, know to put the important stuff first in a document; "heavily front-end load the content," Professor Muller said to me.  The first sentence should tell me, "You need to write a check for $259.69."  THEN it should continue, "Here's how it breaks down."

Stupid lawyers . . .