Should I mention crimes I was charged with but beat Forum

[bdogbb]

So the entire reason I'm interested in Law now is that I was charged with some trumped up bullshit that I was totally innocent of (I don't want to get into any details but it involved other people's drugs), but we took it to trial and won. The American justice system actually worked for me, and I want to be able to pay that forward as an attorney in criminal law. Is this sort of thing a good idea to talk about in a personal statement, or a horrible idea?

[daryldixon]

So the entire reason I'm interested in Law now is that I was charged with some trumped up bullshit that I was totally innocent of (I don't want to get into any details but it involved other people's drugs), but we took it to trial and won. The American justice system actually worked for me, and I want to be able to pay that forward as an attorney in criminal law. Is this sort of thing a good idea to talk about in a personal statement, or a horrible idea?

Well it will save you an addendum because you will definitely need to disclose it to most schools.

[Mal Reynolds]

No that is a terrible idea. "Trumped up bullshit" is not how you should describe anything in your application, especially crimes you've been charged with.

[bdogbb]

No that is a terrible idea. "Trumped up bullshit" is not how you should describe anything in your application, especially crimes you've been charged with.

Yeah I don't intend to put it that way, if I put it in there at all, but for the purposes of this forum post I'm just telling it like it is.

[Mal Reynolds]

Describing it like that serves no purpose and more likely indicates that you lack maturity enough to accurately relate this in a personal statement.

[bdogbb]

No that is a terrible idea. "Trumped up bullshit" is not how you should describe anything in your application, especially crimes you've been charged with.

Sorry for the confusion, that post isn't an excerpt out of a personal statement or anything, the heart of the question is, should I mention that the reason why I want to be a lawyer is that I beat some charges I was innocent of, and I want to pay that forward by contributing to the criminal justice system in a positive way?

[bdogbb]

So the entire reason I'm interested in Law now is that I was charged with some trumped up bullshit that I was totally innocent of (I don't want to get into any details but it involved other people's drugs), but we took it to trial and won. The American justice system actually worked for me, and I want to be able to pay that forward as an attorney in criminal law. Is this sort of thing a good idea to talk about in a personal statement, or a horrible idea?

Well it will save you an addendum because you will definitely need to disclose it to most schools.

I was under the impression I don't have to disclose it if I don't want to, because I was found not guilty.

[Mal Reynolds]

So the entire reason I'm interested in Law now is that I was charged with some trumped up bullshit that I was totally innocent of (I don't want to get into any details but it involved other people's drugs), but we took it to trial and won. The American justice system actually worked for me, and I want to be able to pay that forward as an attorney in criminal law. Is this sort of thing a good idea to talk about in a personal statement, or a horrible idea?

Well it will save you an addendum because you will definitely need to disclose it to most schools.

I was under the impression I don't have to disclose it if I don't want to, because I was found not guilty.

Wrong.

[bdogbb]

So the entire reason I'm interested in Law now is that I was charged with some trumped up bullshit that I was totally innocent of (I don't want to get into any details but it involved other people's drugs), but we took it to trial and won. The American justice system actually worked for me, and I want to be able to pay that forward as an attorney in criminal law. Is this sort of thing a good idea to talk about in a personal statement, or a horrible idea?

Well it will save you an addendum because you will definitely need to disclose it to most schools.

I was under the impression I don't have to disclose it if I don't want to, because I was found not guilty.

Wrong.

The application I'm looking at asks only if I was ever arrested, convicted of anything, or if a charge was dismissed or expunged. None of those apply to me.

[Mal Reynolds]

You were charged with a crime but you weren't arrested? Still disclose.

[daryldixon]

The application I'm looking at asks only if I was ever arrested, convicted of anything, or if a charge was dismissed or expunged. None of those apply to me.

You were definitely "arrested" if you were ever booked. Even if you just went in voluntarily and were released immediately. Technically that is being "arrested." That is SOP for any criminal charges.

[IgosduIkana]

I hope you're a good dude who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and now seeking to pursue law. And not a criminal who got away with some shit and now seeking to pursue law.

[bdogbb]

The application I'm looking at asks only if I was ever arrested, convicted of anything, or if a charge was dismissed or expunged. None of those apply to me.

You were definitely "arrested" if you were ever booked. Even if you just went in voluntarily and were released immediately. Technically that is being "arrested." That is SOP for any criminal charges.

Yeah I did go into the station with my lawyer, and I did sign a few documents, so you're right. Do you think it would be better to tie this into the "why I want to be a lawyer" part of the personal statement, or just keep it in the addendum section?

[bdogbb]

I hope you're a good dude who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and now seeking to pursue law. And not a criminal who got away with some shit and now seeking to pursue law.

Close, I had the wrong people at my place at the wrong time. That's about as much as I'll get into it.

[inlovewithpiper]

I was under the impression I don't have to disclose it if I don't want to, because I was found not guilty.


The application I'm looking at asks only if I was ever arrested, convicted of anything, or if a charge was dismissed or expunged. None of those apply to me.

Forgive me if this is just my mis-informed, 0L thinking here, but isn't being found not-guilty tantamount to having charges dismissed?

[bdogbb]

You were charged with a crime but you weren't arrested? Still disclose.

Actually I take that back, I was booked when I went into the station with my lawyer.

So do you think it would be a better idea to tie this into the "Why I want to be a Lawyer" section of application, or just leave it in the addendum?

[bdogbb]

I was under the impression I don't have to disclose it if I don't want to, because I was found not guilty.


The application I'm looking at asks only if I was ever arrested, convicted of anything, or if a charge was dismissed or expunged. None of those apply to me.

Forgive me if this is just my mis-informed, 0L thinking here, but isn't being found not-guilty tantamount to having charges dismissed?

I'm guessing that a dismissal is something that only happens before or during the trial, not upon it's completion.

[Mal Reynolds]

You were charged with a crime but you weren't arrested? Still disclose.

Actually I take that back, I was booked when I went into the station with my lawyer.

So do you think it would be a better idea to tie this into the "Why I want to be a Lawyer" section of application, or just leave it in the addendum?

I would probably write about something you've done or accomplished that you're proud of. There will be plenty of room in the addendums for the rest of this stuff.

[bdogbb]

You were charged with a crime but you weren't arrested? Still disclose.

Actually I take that back, I was booked when I went into the station with my lawyer.

So do you think it would be a better idea to tie this into the "Why I want to be a Lawyer" section of application, or just leave it in the addendum?

I would probably write about something you've done or accomplished that you're proud of. There will be plenty of room in the addendums for the rest of this stuff.

I'm pretty proud of winning that case.

[Mal Reynolds]

You were charged with a crime but you weren't arrested? Still disclose.

Actually I take that back, I was booked when I went into the station with my lawyer.

So do you think it would be a better idea to tie this into the "Why I want to be a Lawyer" section of application, or just leave it in the addendum?

I would probably write about something you've done or accomplished that you're proud of. There will be plenty of room in the addendums for the rest of this stuff.

I'm pretty proud of winning that case.

Your lawyer did that. You were dumb enough to get caught.

[riverwater]

You were dumb enough to get caught.

Chill out, bro.

[IgosduIkana]

You were dumb enough to get caught.

Chill out, bro.

[bdogbb]

Your lawyer did that. You were dumb enough to get caught.[/quote]

I didn't want to say this, but you have a terrible demeanor, and I feel bad for the people that have to spend time with you.

You have no idea what happened during either the incident or the trial, you've made assumptions that anyone scoring over a 155 on the LSAT should know better than to make.

[runthetrap]

The application I'm looking at asks only if I was ever arrested, convicted of anything, or if a charge was dismissed or expunged. None of those apply to me.

You were definitely "arrested" if you were ever booked. Even if you just went in voluntarily and were released immediately. Technically that is being "arrested." That is SOP for any criminal charges.

Yeah I did go into the station with my lawyer, and I did sign a few documents, so you're right. Do you think it would be better to tie this into the "why I want to be a lawyer" part of the personal statement, or just keep it in the addendum section?

i don't think this would be the best use of your personal statement, unless you can spin the incident into a really outstanding essay that represents your best qualities (which i'm having difficulty imagining). write a concise, mature addendum and save something worth devoting two pages to for your ps.

[bdogbb]

The application I'm looking at asks only if I was ever arrested, convicted of anything, or if a charge was dismissed or expunged. None of those apply to me.

You were definitely "arrested" if you were ever booked. Even if you just went in voluntarily and were released immediately. Technically that is being "arrested." That is SOP for any criminal charges.

Yeah I did go into the station with my lawyer, and I did sign a few documents, so you're right. Do you think it would be better to tie this into the "why I want to be a lawyer" part of the personal statement, or just keep it in the addendum section?

i don't think this would be the best use of your personal statement, unless you can spin the incident into a really outstanding essay that represents your best qualities (which i'm having difficulty imagining). write a concise, mature addendum and save something worth devoting two pages to for your ps.

Thanks for the input, I'm leaning towards not including it in the PS, seems to be a small consensus about that.