Hi all,

I've searched and read quite a few threads about DUI's/arrests etc and was thinking a somewhat centralized thread would provide helpful information for aspiring law students in similar situations. There is a lot of speculation and anxiety during the pre-application stages and hopefully those who have successfully (or unsuccessfully) undergone the process can share their experiences and help others in making an important decision when applying to law school.

1.) Were you ever arrested/convicted for a misdemeanor/felony and how long ago was it from your Law School application date?

2.) Did you disclose it on your law school application?

3.) What were your numbers/ranges?

4.) Were you admitted to your school of choice? What schools were you accepted at?

5.) Were you rejected by any schools specifically for this reason?

6.) Any additional information/insight on the application process and addendum?

1) not convicted but charged with 2 misdemeanors. nearly 5 years prior to law school apps. edited: one was drug-related; the other lowest-level shoplifting. sort of a rough stretch for me.
2) of course. but i also started a panicky thread first
3) good.
4) yes. all t-14s applied to except yale. still pending on CLS.
5) no. no one will be unless they have done something very wrong (like a jailtime felony) or done the same thing repeatedly.
6) everything will be fine.

You will be fine unless you were charged with a:

1) Felony;
2) Multiple misdemeanors that involved theft or fraud, such as shoplifting;
3) Multiple drug possession charges probably won't affect your admission to school all that much, but from what I've read on JDU it seems that you might get a lot of hassle from the bar during C&F time, and they might mandate total sobriety and make you pee in a cup for six months or something before you are officially admitted;
4) I also believe that OTH or unhonorable discharges from the military can be damaging, but I don't really know enough about them.

I had a handful of misdemeanors/ordinance violations, all that would fall under the "drunk and stupid" category - i.e. underages, noise violations, etc. (No dui's or drug charges, though). My cycle has been fairly consistent with where I thought I would be based on my numbers.

As for addendums, just be honest and straightforward, that's all that matters. I wasn't even particularly contrite in my addendum for some things, since if I tried to portray getting an underage when I was 19 as a life-changing event that put me on the straight and narrow I would be lying.

1.) 2 misdemeanors, drug related. One adjudicated without guilt, one plead guilty no plea bargain. last one was in 2003

2.) absolutely, never hide anything

3.) above mid 160's, abovemid 3's

4.) Yes, T-25

5.) Waitlisted at one (administrative hold). But, I went to undergrad there and did terrible and also got some charges in that town.

6.) make sure you can show that the stuff you did was when you were young and stupid. I believe that it is very important to show the level of change that you have had since then. I had 5 years, 8 years at the end of law school. But, if you mess up again, there is no sympathy.

I had lots of stuff to disclose. Very pleased with my cycle. Barring any felonies, I wouldn't worry at all about past legal troubles.

hey, they say if you ever commit murder there is one thing you can be in the real world.

a lawyer

Not in every state. Some state bars will not admit you to practice law with a prior felony.

I don't think he was speaking literally

well you can commit murder and still practice law, so im not sure im willing to assume he meant you couldn't and wanted to crack a joke about it.

1) Yes, recieved charges for suspicion of underage drinking. The trial never came to fruition, I got adult probation instead
2) Oh yeah.
3) 159/3.07
4) No, my #1 was UIUC, but my numbers suck so it's not a suprise. I got into 12 schools; the best of the 12/21 I applied to were Chicago-Kent, Case Westen, Pacific McGeorge, UOregon, U San Fran, SLU and Penn State.
5) I don't know for sure, but doubtful
6) Unless you killed someone, I think you're fine. Be sure to disclose EVERYTHING, this is appreciated, and not doing so will get your ass busted by the ethics probation stuff or whatnot.

1. Underage drinking
2. Yes, told truth plus statement from lawyer
3. 170/<3.00
4. Yes, going to T20 school next year
5. I had an interesting cycle, but moreso because of me being a splitter than the "arrest." I think?
6. Just be prepared to tell the bar the truth

Got caught red-handing with alcohol under 21 by the police... received an underage alcohol citation and mentioned this in all my applications. I'm not sure what kind of crime it was considered, if a crime at all??? Anyway, I don't think it affected me at all. I applied to 11 law schools. I heard from all schools but one and I didn't get rejected from any of them... however I did get three waitlists- which pretty much is a rejection considering I'm not waiting around to see if they admit me. I'v decided upon U of Miami, so unless your crime is really really wrong don't worry about it. Lots of people even get admitted with DUI's.

Let's save this thread for the really good stuff. We know one underage doesn't mean anything.

Any domestic batteries, aggravated assaults, possession with intent to deliver, or forced sodomies out there?

yea well ive got a dui (i was 19) a dwi (i was 23) a public intoxication and a disorderly conduct charge. im 24.

i am going to disclose all of this stuff and supplement it with an addendum explaining that every time i have been in trouble with the law, i was under the influence of alcohol. as a result, i had to make the decision not to drink anymore. 1 year later, i am doing great and my grades have gone up up up!

so...im not worried about it. however, i would be if i wasn't going to tell them about it. i mean, they're gonna find out about it sometime, so why not up front?

I was arrested before (but not convicted of) a DUI in February of this year. I'm planning on applying this Fall. I know it's very recent so I'm wondering if this will be a major hindrance for me. Perfectly clean record outside of that.

What about academic dishonesty? Anyone?

...

Every time I read a thread like this, it reminds me how ridiculous the drug and alcohol laws are in this country. Let's face it--if the bar enforced an ethics standard that excluded anybody who had been arrested on a drug or alcohol charge, then this country would have far fewer lawyers. Perhaps that's not a big deal (maybe it's a good thing, considering the glut of jd's) but the same thing can be said for just about any profession. The FBI was forced to end its policy of screening out people who had tried marijuana simply because the practice so substantially reduced the pool of otherwise qualified applicants. If the federal government locked every marijuana user up tomorrow, this country's economy would grind to a halt (granted, California Oregon and Washington would be hit hardest!).

One might ask, well, what's the big deal? That scenario will never happen, so why care too much about the law? We've reached a point in our society where a drug possession charge (especially for marijuana) frequently doesn't matter that much. Of course, I think most people on this site can see multiple flaws in that reasoning. One of the most troubling has to do with selective law enforcement. If a law is unenforceable, then necessity requires that law enforcement officials make multiple choices--the most common being what laws should be enforced and to what extent (obviously enormous ethical and philosophical issues are raised by this choice). There is, however, a more troubling choice to be made as well--who should be targeted for enforcement? I (and of course many others) believe that this choice (and how it is made by law enforcement officers) represents perhaps the most damaging manifestation of racism in this country.

To use a small example (from personal experience)--if you happen to be an African American male high school student in certain parts of Los Angeles, the likely punishment you face for a possession charge is far more serious than just about any other demographic group.* One mistake, and a student can be placed on a path from which it is incredibly difficult to escape. It is easy for many middle to upper-class folks to shrink from the challenge of reforming our country's drug laws because so few of us actually see significantly negative effects. The stories on this board confirm that fact--Caught with weed, caught drinking underage, and yet still on a path to law school.

I apologize for the diatribe , but I guess this issue just makes me stew, and I felt like getting it out. In any case, I'm interested in hearing what other people think about this issue.


*Not to minimize the challenges faced by other groups--it's just that in my experience young black boys receive the roughest treatment.

..

Hi all,

I'm a non-traditional law school applicant. I need tips on how best to address a misdemeanor charge I received 5+ years ago for campus vandalism. Because most of the schools I've chosen require full disclosure (even expungements), I want to be completely honest. Should I just state the facts of the case? Should I include that I've maintained a clean record since then? Should I include an apology? How far should I go in discussing how different I am today? I do community service now, but it's only ~3 hrs twice or thrice a month. I'm sorry for my actions, but I don't think making excuses for them is a good idea.

Thanks.

This is not a typical situation, but a former CEO of a large company was sentenced 21 months in a federal prison for tax evasion, paid 100s of thousands of dollars in fines and was charged with a number of sexual harrassment suits, which settled out of court. He subsequently was admitted to law school and passed the bar.

I cheated on an Algebra II test sophomore year of HS. They kicked me and a buddy out of the National Honor Society.

The entire situation was poorly handled. My friend got a lawyer and was readmitted and I made no effort whatsoever (and was thus not readmitted). I guess if it comes up when I run for President I can say that the event motivated me to become a lawyer... I'm not addressing your concerns at all, am I?

Any others?

I remember looking on lawschoolnumbers.com and seeing a guy who was rejected at some T6 school with great numbers (he was a sole red dot in a sea of yellows and greens on the graph). I clicked on his profile, and it looked like he had some interesting softs, but then I read that he had 2 DUI convictions, which were the only reason I could see for his rejection at that school. If anyone comes across this person, let me know.

Either way, as long as you don't have a pattern of felonies, I think that you should be alright.