The bar exam is serious. Preparing for it doesn't have to be.
Tips, advice, and musings for law students and bar examinees by Tommy Sangchompuphen
ABOUT DEAN TOMMY
Tommy Sangchompuphen (“Dean Tommy”) rejoined the University of Dayton School of Law in 2023, where he is currently a visiting assistant professor. He previously served as Associate Dean for Student Learning and an associate professor at Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law from 2012 to 2017 and again from 2018 to 2023..
Dean Tommy has been mentoring and working with students one-on-one since his own graduation from law school in the 1990s.
“I take students’ academic performance very personally, and I take a very individualized approach to helping them succeed in both law school and on the bar exam,” says Dean Tommy. “I permit students to call me by my first name. I have an open-door policy, with extended hours early in the morning and late in the evenings. I allow students to reach me on my mobile phone and even text me if a specific need requires it.”
Dean Tommy says he believes that “non-traditional” efforts to reach out to students and to work within their familiar framework foster a relationship and trust that assist with their learning and boost their confidence in succeeding in law school and on the bar exam.
There should be no doubt about Dean Tommy’s passion for helping students graduate from law school and, ultimately, pass the bar exam—he once had a license plate that read: “BAR EXM.”
Before rejoining LMU Law, Dean Tommy was Interim Associate Dean for Academic Success at the University of Dayton School of Law and, before that, Assistant Dean for Student Learning and Outcomes and Assistant Professor at Appalachian School of Law (2008 to 2012), where he has taught classes and courses in the areas of academic success and bar preparation. His students named Dean Tommy the Sandra C. Ruffin Distinguished Professor of the Year for the 2013-2014 academic year, and National Jurist Magazine recognized Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law as the best law school for bar exam preparation in its Winter 2017 issue.
Since 2000, Dean Tommy has written and edited several books designed to improve students’ performance on the bar exam, including the primary course materials for BARBRI’s Essay Advantage courses in several states. He has also been involved with bar exam essay and performance test instruction in several states. He is a member of the Minnesota bar.
Teaching Experience
University of Dayton School of Law (2017 to 2018, 2023 to Present)
Visiting Assistant Professor (2023 to 2024)
Adjunct Professor (Spring 2023 and Summer 2023)
Interim Associate Dean for Academic Success (2017 to 2018)
Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (2012 to 2017, 2018 to 2023)
Associate Dean for Student Learning and Associate Professor of Law
Appalachian School of Law (2008 to 2012)
Assistant Dean for Student Learning and Outcomes and Assistant Professor of Law
Education
University of Minnesota Law School (J.D.)
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (M.S.)
Yale University (B.A.)
Awards
Institutional Leadership Award, Association of Academic Support Educators (2023).
Professor of the Year, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (2013-14).
Presentations and Publications
“Helping Second-Time Bar Takers Reset for Success” (panelist), LexCon '22 by AccessLex, Nashville, TN, Nov. 9, 2022.
“Learning from Each Other: A Networking and Discussion Session by Clients for Clients: Part 2,” ExamSoft Assessment Conference, Online, June 23, 2022.
“Learning from Each Other: A Networking and Discussion Session by Clients for Clients: Part 1,” ExamSoft Assessment Conference, Online, June 22, 2022.
Sangchompuphen, Tommy. “Seeking Help Shows Strength.” Student Lawyer, Janaury/February 2022.
“MEE Strategies for Wills and Trusts,” Workshop for UNT Dallas College of Law, Online, July 1, 2021.
“Excel and 'F' Bombs,” 2021 Association of Academic Support Educators Annual Conference, Online, May 27, 2021.
“Major Changes Coming to the Tennessee Bar Exam.” Sangchompuphen, Tommy. DICTA April 2021: 16-17. Print.
“Accreditation from Three Perspectives,” ExamSoft Education Connection Webinar, Online, March 25, 2021.
Online Teaching Seminar Series, ABA ROLI Building Bridges Program, World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) and Westminster (WIUT) Law Faculty in attendance, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Online, Dec. 18, 2020.
“Setting Up Success: Building Up Your ExamSoft Core Platform,” ExamSoft Education Connection Webinar, Online, July 15, 2020.
“Setting Up for Success: Building up your ExamSoft Core Platform,” ExamSoft Assessment Conference, Park City, UT, June 24-26, 2020 (canceled).
“Improving Student Performance on the MEE,” Workshop to Faculty at Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, Knoxville, TN, March 11, 2020.
“Setting Up for Success: Building up your ExamSoft Core Platform,” ExamSoft Bar Seminar, Las Vegas, NV, Nov. 8, 2019.
“Managing the Ever-Changing Accommodations Landscape,” ExamSoft Bar Seminar, Las Vegas, NV, Nov. 7, 2019.
Laughlin, Vonda and Sangchompuphen, Tommy. “Tennessee Joins the Ranks of Jurisdictions Adopting the Uniform Bar Exam.” DICTA Oct. 2019: 16-17. Print.
"Doing More with Less: How Do We Create the Same Experience for February Bar Takers?" 2019 Annual Association of Academic Support Educator Conference, Seattle, WA, May 22, 2019 (co-presented with Dyann Margolis).
“Using Big Data and Predictive Analytics to Make Data-Driven Decisions,” Workshop to Faculty at Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, Knoxville, TN, February 15, 2019.
“How ExamSoft Can Make Navigating the ABA Standards Simpler,” ExamSoft Bar Seminar, Denver, CO, Nov. 1, 2018.
“Using Pre- and Post-class Questions to Develop an Early Warning System to Improve Intervention and Remediation Efforts,” ExamSoft Assessment Conference, Fort Lauderdale, FL, June 29, 2018.
“This Isn’t Your Mother’s ExamSoft Anymore: Using Examplify for More Than High-Stakes Examinations,” ExamSoft Assessment Conference, Fort Lauderdale, FL, June 27, 2018.
“Using ExamSoft to Help with Formative Assessment in Legal Education,” ExamSoft Assessment on Tour Mini-Conference Plus Law, New York City, NY, May 16, 2018.
“Using ExamSoft to Help with Formative Assessment in Legal Education,” ExamSoft Assessment on Tour Mini-Conference Plus Law, San Francisco, CA, March 7, 2018.
"Using ExamSoft to Help with Formative Assessments in Legal Education,” ExamSoft Assessment on Tour Mini-Conference, San Francisco, CA, March 7, 2018.
“Formative Assessments in American Legal Education,” ExamSoft Assessment on Tour Mini-Conference, London, England, UK, November 21, 2017.
“The Role of the Professor Beyond the Classroom,” BARBRI 3L Course Training Seminar, Fort Worth, TX, July 13, 2017.
“New Year, New Standards: Addressing the ABA’s Concerns About Attrition and Bar Passage,” ExamSoft Assessment Conference, Denver, CO, June 16, 2017.
“The Role of the Professor Beyond the Classroom,” BARBRI 3L Course Training Seminar, Chicago, IL, December 14, 2016.
“A Law School Guide to Using ExamSoft’s Categories and Blueprint Features to Comply with ABA Standards,” ExamSoft Assessment Conference, Dallas, TX, June 15, 2016.
“Using ExamSoft to Help with Formative Assessment in Legal Education,” ExamSoft Assessment Conference, Dallas, TX, June 14, 2016.
“Explaining the New ABA Standards,” Workshop to Faculty at Campbell School of Law, Raleigh, NC, January 27, 2016.
“Thinking about Learning Outcomes and Formative Assessments Differently (or for the First Time!),” Workshop to Faculty at Campbell School of Law, Raleigh, NC, January 27, 2016.
“Developing Learning Outcomes and Assessments and Providing Timely Feedback to Maximize Student Learning,” Workshop to Faculty at Campbell School of Law, Raleigh, NC, January 27, 2016.
“Reducing the Guesswork Out of Bar Passage: Using a Numbers-based Approach to Provide a Predictive Model,” Appalachian College Association, 2015 Annual Summit, Kingsport, TN, October 2, 2015.
“How Lincoln Memorial University is Preparing Students to Pass the Bar,” ExamSoft Client Webinar, Online, August 25, 2015.
“The Use of Formative Assessments in Legal Education,” ExamSoft Client Webinar, Online, July 21, 2015.
“Reducing the Guesswork Out of Bar Passage: Using a Numbers-based Approach to Provide a Predictive Model,” ExamSoft Assessment Conference, Lexington, KY, June 2015.
“Flipping the Law School Classroom: Using Technology Outside the Classroom to Engage Students in the Classroom,” Conference for Law School Computing, Chicago, IL, June 2013.