Passing the bar. The term, for most, refers to passing a test, but the word “bar” has a number of legal meanings. Its origin, for example, referred to an actual bar or partition that separated the working and public areas of a courtroom. For those studying law, passing the bar exam is the only way to jump that bar, the only way to gain admittance to that most sacred of legal territories. Yet many new lawyers find that admittance and belonging are two different things. Armed with law degrees and a license to practice, they really need help with the “how to” part of being a lawyer.