Ca Bar Style - Encino, California

Heidi Gonzalez

I am very grateful to have come across Shana with CA Bar Style. Her tutoring changed the game for me. I had taken the CA Bar Exam before and prepped with a commercial prep course and then self studying. But once I enrolled in Shana's course, I immediately noticed a shift in all of my scores. Even in the subjects I felt that I knew well, I realized through her program that there was so much more to those subjects that I could improve on, especially for the MBE portion. While it is a big financial commitment, it's worth it 100%. Shana has a set study schedule, BUT if at any point she sees that you need extra support in a certain subject or something, she will tailor the schedule to your needs. This is what makes her program worth it. She won't just give you a schedule and tell you to complete tasks. She will actually ensure that the schedule is working for you, which is exactly what she did with me. I will always be grateful to Shana, Richard, and the whole CA Bar Style team who helped me get over this hurdle. If you are a repeat test taker like myself, I fully recommend CA Bar Style. You won't regret it 🙂

Mercedes Molina

First, let me say Shana is absolutely amazing!!!!

I was a repeat taker, and I initially tried the big commercial bar prep, which I feel didn't give me the help I needed. The whole time in that big commercial bar prep I felt like I was just doing work and not learning. After failing, I did my research and found Shana.

I don't even know where to start. Shana actually takes the time to find out what you struggle with and help you improve. She takes the time to make sure you get it, and makes herself available for your questions and concerns.

The CA bar style program is so thorough and progresses at the right speed. This allowed me to really learn and understand the material. The essay approaches, the course material, the tips, the 1 on 1 help, the timely grading feedback, and just everything is so amazing and helpful.

I strongly recommend CA bar style to first time takers and repeaters.

Thank you Shana for helping me pass!

Sara Truitt

Shana and the CA Bar Style team came highly recommended, and I see why! I was devastated after a failed attempt at the California Bar Exam in February 2020. I enrolled in CA Bar Style's Gold Package program and passed the October 2020 exam. CA Bar Style delivers results.

After an initial assessment and review of my February 2020 exam file answers, Shana knew exactly what to do. She and the CA Bar Style Team put together a prep schedule and a personalized game plan that targeted all my problem areas and helped me strengthen my weaknesses. Shana immediately saw where I needed to work and what I needed to do to pass the exam. Moreover, she and her team adapted quickly and impressively to the pandemic and the multiple date changes for the October 2020 Bar. She altered our schedules, provided needed days off and extra tutoring, and handled these curveballs like a true professional.

The course itself requires that you put in the work and submit assignments on time, but it's manageable. I was able to work 20 hours/week and stay on top of my assignments. The CA Bar Style team was there not only for substantive help, but also for help staying organized (thank you, Richard!) and for much needed pep talks when practice essays or MBE sets would come back with low scores. As for substantive help, Shana and her graders provided excellent, thorough feedback explaining why scores on my practice essay were low. CA Bar Style really provides a comprehensive approach and support in all aspects of bar prep.

I passed the October 2020 California Bar Exam thanks to Shana and the CA Bar Style team. All I had to do was listen to Shana and do exactly as she instructed. I think that's the key to finding your name on the pass list.

Adithi Raghuveer

*Update in response to Shana's response*:
Sorry, but your claims are inaccurate - I submitted assignments until at least the beginning of June and scored just fine which is 5-6 months out of your 7 month program. Secondly, I was a practicing and called lawyer for over 2 years in my home country so your comments suggesting that I could not handle the rigour of your frankly inadequate program are misguided. I never said I was forced to pay for your program - I chose it, paid for it, experienced it, and have now chosen to write a review opining that for what the program offers, it is an egregious amount of money to charge. Lastly, as the owner of the tutoring company, claiming that *your* materials are unmatched in the space is hardly an objective evaluation of the program.

*Original Review*

1. This program is outrageously priced - no bar prep program should cost $8600 USD - this is more than I paid in tuition for a semester of law school in my home country. It was absolutely not worth it in my opinion for the reasons below;

2. The materials are extremely long and in my opinion, disorganized/hard to read (more a personal preference); I also note that at times the law is wrong (for example, the Real Property outline had a mistake that was brought to Shana's attention both during my bar prep as well as my September 2024 meeting with Shana). The program also encourages the use of Essay Approaches which are full-sentence outlines to deal with different essay topics on the CA Bar Exam. The approaches help with understanding structure, but in my opinion, they were far too wordy and unhelpful for memorization/prepping. There is SO much to memorize for this exam in the first place - memorizing full sentences for certain essay topics was far too cumbersome and pointless in my opinion. It's clear that different answers with different definitions/approaches on the essays do perfectly fine scoring-wise on the exam, and so I wish the focus was not simply on how the approaches are the best way to study;

3. I didn't find this program tailored to different learning styles - the 30 minute tutoring sessions with Shana were, for me, unhelpful as I didn't feel as though I got the chance to actually express the concerns that I, individually, was having with bar prep. The focus is more on reviewing the work you have submitted and getting feedback on the same. Furthermore, in the package, there are only two 30 minute sessions with Shana during the entirety of Bar Prep. This is clearly mentioned in their contract, but again, I don't think the cost is worth that at all;

4. The memorization schedule is tailored to one type of learning style - as someone who needed spaced repetition in law school to solidify and memorize concepts, Shana's memorization schedule was wholly unsuitable for me;

5. I did not care for Shana's MBE approach - the majority of the program is tailored towards essay writing. Apart from Shana's methodology to do questions repeatedly in sets until you see a score increase, there is no specific tutoring or advice on how to attack the MBE portion of the exam; and

6. The tutoring style was not for me - as discussed with Shana in September 2024, I personally did not need encouragement/words of advice about self-care during the bar prep journey. Shana does this because she cares about her students, but it was not the kind of tutoring I needed.

While I am certain that Shana cares about her students, her tutoring style/the program was not the right fit for me and how I learn. Overall, I would absolutely not recommend CA Bar Style to anyone preparing for the California Bar Exam.

Scott Stitt

I'm an attorney who hadn't taken a bar exam in 20 years, and only passed the CA Bar because of Shana and CA Bar Style. I was able to work full-time and stay on track with the assignments - which were all very helpful and focused on what the bar examiners want to see. The assignment grading and personal meetings were extremely helpful to focus on the areas that needed improvement to maximize my score. I highly recommend CA Bar Style for lawyers who haven't taken a bar exam in many years - it's the best decision I made to prepare for the California bar

E N

I did really well in Law school. But when it comes time to standardize testing my anxiety starts to kick in and I tend not to do well. I took the bar twice and did not pass. I was devestated. My friend told me to go to CA Bar Style. I was hesitant but desperate . Shana was amazing! Her staff was amazing! She was not only knowledgeable she was able to help me cope with my fears and calmed me down immensely. I studied hard and with CA Bar Style I was able to pass the bar! I cannot thank you enough Shana. All my friends that used you said the exact same thing. You are the best!

Daniela Tovar

When I first heard about Shana I looked at her videos and instantly I felt drawn to her course because I felt that she truly spoke my language! I had tried the Barbri program and it was nothing like her program. I wish that I would've known about CA bar style long ago as it would've alleviated so much emotional turmoil.

When I first signed up for the bootcamp I was scared at the thought of only having 5 weeks to prepare. However, Shana said don't worry you are within the point range and I WILL GET YOU THERE! I felt a sense of comfort knowing that she believed in me and that my essays were indeed up to par. However, A few weeks into the bootcamp I met with Shana for a FT where we reviewed my essays. The FT began with a somber tone as she told me that I didn't seem to be grasping the approaches. I worriedly asked her if she thought I would be ready in time for the exam. She told me that it was up to me to really buckle down and get it together. She truly lit the fire in my soul and as I took the exam I remember her voice telling me to keep going!!!

The moment I received access to her program I was in awe! Shana's videos are about 20 minutes long and they are straight to the point as she walks you through each subject and how to handle each topic on the essay. Her outlines truly show you how to write a lawyerly response for the bar exam as she tells you this is your intro, this is your argument, this is your defense, etc. The best part about the bootcamp is that every single day is accounted for. You must watch the videos, learn the approach, and write the essays. The essay feedback was amazing as it was very detailed and quite frankly their grading made it feel similar to a bar grader.

In regards to the MBE's Shana teaches you how to track your progress in a way that not even Adaptibar can teach. When I first started the bootcamp I was averaging about 60% on the MBE's and by the time I took the February bar after having followed her approach I was averaging about 80%.

Overall my experience with Shana and her team was truly a dream come true. I owe my success story to them for giving me the tools that were necessary to pass the dreaded bar exam.

Gabriella Stearns

As an attorney applicant who forgot basically everything from law school, CA Bar Style gave me everything I needed to know to pass this exam. Shana's streamlined approach and mentoring, gave me the confidence I needed to perform. My advice to all is to simply trust Shana's process - it works!