

"One-and-Done" in College Hoops and Bar Prep
College basketball tips off today, and that includes the University of Dayton's men's team hosting Canisius University at 7 p.m. in the Epicenter of College Basketball, UD Arena . Source: https://daytonflyers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster The start of college basketball season also means the annual conversation about " one-and-done " stars is back. Think Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and Zion Williamson—players who spent a single

Tommy Sangchompuphen
1 day ago6 min read


Indiana Over Golden State: A Playbook for Ending a Study Skid
I went to my first Indiana Pacers game of the season last night. After five straight losses to open the season, the Pacers, who came up just short of winning the NBA Finals last season, finally got a win —and not a soft one. It came against the 4-and-2 Golden State Warriors in a game where the Pacers were a heavy 12-point underdog. All signs before tipoff pointed to a sixth straight loss: the injuries, the record, the matchup, the momentum, the odds. And then, for one night,

Tommy Sangchompuphen
2 days ago4 min read


NextGen’s “Ultimate Readiness Test”: Proof or PR?
The National Conference of Bar Examiners' news release yesterday frames the Jan. 8-10, 2026 “Beta Test” of the upcoming NextGen Uniform Bar Exam as the ultimate readiness test—a capstone proving that the July 2026 exam is good to go. For clarity, a beta test, according to Merriam-Webster , is “a field test of the beta version of a product (such as software) especially by testers outside the company developing it that is conducted prior to commercial release.” Software daevel

Tommy Sangchompuphen
3 days ago3 min read


“Six–Seven!” for Bar Takers: Why Some States Use 6, Others 7, and Why It Doesn't Matter
If you’ve heard Generation Alpha chanting “six–seven,” which Dictionary.com recently named its 2025 Word of the Year , then congratulations: You’re now holding the perfect icebreaker for explaining bar‑exam scoring to anyone. On the written portion of the Uniform Bar Exam (the six Multistate Essay Exam essays and the two Multistate Performance Test questions), jurisdictions don’t all use the same raw scale. Although a majority of UBE jurisdictions grade your answers on six

Tommy Sangchompuphen
3 days ago2 min read


When the Smash Is Gone: Lat Strains, Leaderboards, and Bar Exam Reality
Right now, I’m ranked first in my pickleball league. But a lat strain on Monday has me benched. With the matches I’ll miss due to injury, my ranking will slide—likely enough that this season effectively ends. It’s a sharp reminder: rankings are history, but readiness is now. A ranking is a snapshot of past results. It compresses a run of performances into a neat number or place on a list. That can be motivating and validating, but it’s backward‑looking. A leaderboard reflects

Tommy Sangchompuphen
6 days ago2 min read


“How Has No-One Done This Before?” Because It’s a Bad Idea
Arby’s recently launched Steak Nuggets —hand‑cut, bite‑size pieces of smoked steak seasoned with garlic and pepper—sold like chicken nuggets. You can order them as a 5‑ or 9‑piece with Hickory BBQ sauce, in a sandwich with Havarti and crispy onions, or over white‑cheddar mac and cheese. In the commercial, the narrator actually asks, “How has no‑one done this before?” My answer, after trying them: Because it’s not a great idea. And that's my bar‑prep lesson. When you catch you

Tommy Sangchompuphen
Oct 273 min read


Backstreet Boys x Taylor Swift (and the Bar Exam Goes NextGen)
You’ve might have heard it by now. The viral mashup of Taylor Swift’s “Elizabeth Taylor” and the Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” has taken over social media. It’s a nostalgic, unexpected blend of pop eras that somehow works. And believe it or not, it’s a pretty good preview of what’s coming your way with the NextGen Bar Exam. The Mashup Analogy A mashup works only when two songs—often with very different rhythms, keys, and eras—are artfully combined to sound

Tommy Sangchompuphen
Oct 262 min read


In the News, On the Bar Exam: Robbery Lessons from the Seven-Minute Louvre Heist
A museum. A freight elevator. And a seven-minute getaway. You read that right. This morning, in a scene that could’ve been ripped straight from Ocean’s 11½ , a crew of thieves pulled off a seven-minute heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris . They used a freight elevator bolted to a truck, angle grinders, and chain saws to smash their way into the Apollo Gallery—the home of the French Crown Jewels. They threatened guards, smashed cases, grabbed jewels once worn by queens, and zi

Tommy Sangchompuphen
Oct 193 min read


ABA Student Lawyer: "How to Thrive in Law School as an Introvert"
From ABA Law Student Division's Student Lawyer , October 16, 2025: When people think of law school success, they often imagine students who are loud in class, quick to volunteer, and seemingly at ease in every networking event. The “easy” advice introverts often hear? “Just become more extroverted.” But that’s not realistic. Nor is it necessary. I say this from experience: I was an introvert as a law student, I was an introvert as a practicing lawyer, and I remain an introv

Tommy Sangchompuphen
Oct 161 min read


In the News, On the Bar Exam: LeBron’s “The Second Decision” and the Law of Intentional Misrepresentation
LeBron James recently sent the sports world into a frenzy with what he called “The Second Decision.” Fans and media speculated for days. Was he finally retiring? Changing teams ... again? The buzz built until the reveal: “The Second Decision.” wasn't not a basketball announcement at all, but a new advertising campaign with Hennessy . Some fans felt duped, particularly those who paid premium prices to attend what they believed might be LeBron’s final game. One California resid

Tommy Sangchompuphen
Oct 123 min read



