Our Story

Where Bar Review Began

In 1946, Joseph Marino developed the first modern bar review course in the United States — a structured, systematic approach to bar exam preparation that had never existed before. His method, built around fill-in-the-blank frameworks and disciplined rule memorization, gave law graduates something the profession had long been missing: a clear, teachable path to passing the bar exam.

That original Marino course went on to become the foundation of what is today known as Barbri — the largest bar review company in the world. The industry Joseph Marino created eventually absorbed his work. But the Marino family never stopped teaching.

We didn’t follow the bar review industry. We built it.

Professor Joseph Marino Jr. — The Go-To Guy

Joseph Marino Jr. followed his father into legal education and built something extraordinary in his own right. As a full-time professor at New York Law School, he raised the school’s bar passage rate from 57% to 94%. The New York Law Journal named him “the go-to guy for those in need of bar review.” Generations of New York and New Jersey attorneys credited him with helping them cross the finish line when other courses had failed them.

His most well-known student was John F. Kennedy Jr., who failed the bar exam twice using other review courses before turning to Professor Marino. Using the Marino method, Kennedy increased his MBE score by 46 points and passed the New York Bar Exam. The story was covered by the New York Post and became a defining example of what a truly different approach to bar preparation could accomplish.

By 1994, Professor Marino’s success had become impossible for the industry to ignore. Barbri — the company built on his father’s original work — brought him on board. He remained there until 2012, when a change in ownership led him to do what his family has always done: go back out on their own.

Professor Marino passed away in 2016, but not before instilling in his family a methodology, a standard, and a commitment to students that has outlasted every trend in legal education. His legacy lives in every student we help pass today.

Why We Left the Old Method Behind

Joseph Marino’s original 1946 course was built on memorization — the fill-in-the-blank framework that Barbri still uses today. At the time, it was revolutionary. Today, that method has a fundamental problem: the bar exam doesn’t primarily test whether you know the law. It tests whether you can score points.

The law is everywhere. You can get outlines for free. Paying thousands of dollars to have someone recite black-letter law to you is not preparation — it’s the illusion of preparation. And it’s why so many smart, hardworking law graduates fail.

The Marino Method™ is built on a different premise entirely: we teach you how the exam is actually scored, how bar examiners award points, and how to demonstrate competence even when your knowledge is imperfect. We don’t waste your time reviewing what you already know. We focus on what actually determines whether you pass.

We evolved beyond the method our grandfather invented. The bar exam did too. Now we’re ready for what comes next.

Marino Today

Today, Marino Bar Review is led by Michael Marino, Educational Director and the third generation of the Marino family in legal education. Emily Marino, who ran Marino Legal alongside Professor Marino for 35 years, continues to serve as Director of Marino Bar Tutors, personally overseeing the matching and training of every tutor in our program.

We specialize in what the big national courses cannot offer: genuine individualization. Every student who comes to Marino receives a custom study plan, a personally matched certified tutor, and instruction built around the specific weaknesses their score report reveals. We are not a lecture series. We are not a content library. We are a preparation system designed around one outcome: passing your exam.

Our students include first-time takers who want to get it right from the start, repeat takers who have already spent money on courses that didn’t work, and law school graduates referred to us by institutions like the New York Legal Aid Society and George Washington University Law School. When law schools and legal organizations need to help their students pass, they call Marino.

We have been doing this, in one form or another, since 1946. That is not a marketing line. It is a responsibility we take seriously every time a student trusts us with the most important exam of their professional life.

The Team

Michael Marino — Educational Director

The third generation of the Marino family in bar preparation, Michael joined the family business in 2009 and has led Marino Bar Review’s evolution into a nationally recognized digital program. He earned his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law and served as an adjunct professor at New York Law School and Pacific American University School of Law.

Emily Marino — Director of Marino Bar Tutors

With over 35 years at the center of Marino Legal, Emily personally oversees the hiring, training, and matching of every Marino Certified Tutor. Her judgment and institutional knowledge are irreplaceable parts of what makes the Marino tutoring program work. She holds a B.S. from the University of Maryland and an M.S. from Adelphi University.

Max Shoengold, Esq. — Director of Expansion

Max leads Marino’s national expansion across both bar review and continuing legal education. A former litigation associate and National Labor Relations Board fellow, he earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and his B.A. from Brandeis University.

Three generations. One mission. Pass the bar exam.