If there’s anything to know about U.S. bar exams and student success, Mike Sims knows it.

A 26-year veteran in legal education, Mike works closely with leading law school administrators, faculty, and students to improve law school and bar exam results. Under Mike’s leadership, BARBRI has remained the consistent market leader in bar preparation.

With an operating philosophy centering on student success and its positive impact on the legal field as a whole, Mike relates to stakeholders at all levels, from 3L students starting bar prep to professors and administrators. His formidable grasp of the state-specific and national components of the nation’s bar exams and knowledge of the legal education landscape have established him as the go-to expert for media and others wanting insights into legal education trends and challenges.

Mike’s work life hasn’t always been focused on the law. His jobs in high school and college ranged from working as a butcher, a farmer, and a disc jockey at three different radio stations before earning a B.S. in agricultural education from Texas A&M and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. He then did brief stints in national and Texas politics, serving as special assistant to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen and, later, as chief clerk for the State Affairs Committee of the Texas House of Representatives.

Mike and his wife, Michelle, have two children, Megan and Matthew. Further reinforcing his alliterative bent, Mike’s dogs are Maggie and Mystic. In his spare time, Mike is a tournament bass fisherman. When not on the water chasing the “big one,” he is an avid gardener and theater buff.