Harvard Law Exams Online

Harvard Law School has posted all of their law school exams from 1871 to 1998. (Thanks to Orrin Kerr at the Volokh Conspiracy for the link.)

It was fun to look at the very first Harvard exams in Corporations and Partnership. The questions are much more general than today’s exams and, at least in my opinion, much easier.

Here, for example, are some of the Corporations questions:

• "Give a brief and general definition of a corporation."

• "To what extent , and for what objects has a corporation power to make by-laws? And when, and for what reasons will a by-law be deemed void?"

• "What do you understand by the doctrine of ultra vires?"

Here are some of the Partnership questions:

• "In whom does the legal title to partnership property vest, and why?

• "What is the liability of a partner for the debts of the firm; and is such liability joint, or several, or both joint and several?"

• "In what cases cannot a partner sue his co-partner at common law?"

• "If one member of a firm, consisting of three or more, violates any of the covenants or agreements contained in the partnership articles, can or not an action at law be maintained against him; and if so, by whom and why?"

Strangely enough, I couldn’t find any securities exams from 1871. I wonder why? (Please, no comments on this point. This is sarcasm; I’m not that  stupid.)

It was disheartening to look at the Corporations and Securities Regulation exams I took as a student. For those of you curious how someone like me could graduate from law school, the Corporations exam I took as a student is available here and my Securities Regulation exam is here. I am embarrassed to admit that, even though I teach Securities Regulation, I still can’t answer some of Professor Louis Loss’s multiple choice questions off the top of my head. I have no idea how I managed to get an A.

-Steve Bradford