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Final exams

By Jeff Terrill

Fort Wayne Reader

2018-12-09

Mike is stressed about his final examinations. He’s a first year law student who plans to get into politics after law school. Mike has very little to show so far from all of his hard work. Mike attends all of his classes. He participates in study groups with other students. Mike reads all of the assigned case law.

Mike, like all of his classmates, has no grades up to this point because there have been no exams, no quizzes. Nothing. Mike’s GPA and class rank all hinge upon how well or not so well he performs on his final exams. His first final exam begins in ten days.

Through a series of events, Mike surreptitiously obtains a copy of his civil procedure final exam several days before the test date. Mike works on the questions at home. Initially, Mike tells no one. Two days later, Mike informs his friend and fellow civil procedure classmate, Sarah, that he has an advance copy of the actual final exam. Sarah wants in. She’s not about to let Mike or any other student out perform her.

Mike and Sarah swear each other to secrecy. They know the risks. They also know that the better summer associate jobs go to the students with the highest grades. They assure themselves that they’ll never get caught.

Mike and Sarah join forces to craft accurate and thorough responses to the questions posed on the final examination. The exam is challenging, but they utilize their study time wisely.

Come test time, Mike and Sarah are ready. Sure enough, the civil procedure exam is identical to the test Mike obtained. Mike and Sarah meet briefly after the exam to congratulate each other on their good fortune. They are convinced that they both wrote the best examination responses their professor has ever seen.

Mike and Sarah take their remaining exams in their other classes. Heading out for winter break, both feel pretty good overall about their performances on their finals.

Law school professors have several weeks to grade final examinations. After the holidays, the civil procedure professor will question both Mike and Sarah about the striking similarities between their two tests. The Dean of the law school will
get involved, along with local law enforcement.

Just after the beginning of the second semester, both Sarah and Mike will be expelled from law school. Additionally, Mike will be charged with theft and Sarah will be charged with receiving stolen property.

Sarah and Mike have taken their final examinations.

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Jeff Terrill is a partner/shareholder with the law firm of Arnold Terrill Anzini, P.C. Mr. Terrill represents clients accused of crimes throughout northeast Indiana. You can contact Mr. Terrill with any questions or comments at his office at 260.420.7777 or via email at jterrill@fortwaynedefense.com. Learn more about his firm at www.fortwaynedefense.com. This article expressed opinions and observations of the author, is not intended as legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship between the author and the reader. Please consult a qualified attorney with any legal questions or issues you might have. Thank you.