MI Bar study guide
MI Bar · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Michigan Bar Examination is the licensing examination that candidates must pass to be admitted to the practice of law in Michigan. It is administered under the authority of the Michigan Supreme Court, and the body that oversees it - the Board of Law Examiners - sits within the court system's committee and board structure. The MI Bar study guide has 7 sections and about 2,264 words.
01Civil Procedure
Civil Procedure questions test the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: personal and subject-matter jurisdiction, venue and removal, pleading sufficiency, discovery limits, dispositive motions, and the binding effect of judgments. Michigan's own rules track the federal rules closely, so learning the federal rule and noting the state analogue is the efficient path.
339 words, about 2 min02Constitutional Law
Constitutional Law questions test judicial review, justiciability, Fourteenth Amendment due process and equal protection, First Amendment speech and religion, and the dormant Commerce Clause. Michigan's 1963 Constitution contains parallel provisions (for example, art.
302 words, about 2 min03Contracts and Sales
Contracts questions blend common-law doctrine with UCC Article 2. Decide which body governs before analyzing: Article 2 covers transactions in goods; services, real estate, and intangibles stay at common law, and Michigan's statute of frauds, MCL 566.132, supplies the writing requirement for the non-UCC categories.
350 words, about 2 min04Criminal Law and Procedure
Criminal Law and Procedure covers common-law crimes and defenses plus the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments. Michigan adds its own wrinkles: the Self-Defense Act, MCL 780.951, presumes reasonable fear for a person lawfully present in a dwelling or vehicle who is not committing a crime, and felony murder under MCL 750.316 requires an enumerated felony committed in one continuous transaction.
343 words, about 2 min05Evidence
Evidence tests relevance, character evidence, impeachment, hearsay and its exceptions, privileges, authentication, and the best-evidence rule. The Michigan Rules of Evidence track the Federal Rules closely, so analyze using the federal numbering and note state deviations.
314 words, about 2 min06Real Property
Real Property questions run from possessory estates and future interests through landlord-tenant, land sale contracts, deeds, recording, mortgages, easements, and covenants. Michigan specifics matter: Michigan is a race-notice recording jurisdiction under MCL 565.29, retains dower so a spouse must join in a conveyance of the other spouse's realty, and permits sellers to enforce land contracts by forfeiture under MCL 600.5726.
310 words, about 2 min07Torts
Torts tests negligence (duty, breach, actual and proximate cause, damages), intentional torts, and strict liability, heavily qualified by Michigan statutes. The statutory overlay is what the Michigan bar rewards and what generic outlines omit.
306 words, about 2 min