C&F Addendum Help Forum

[Anonymous User]

OP - yeah just take the chart thing out. It's not really a great point in terms of evidence, because whenever someone testifies on their behalf it's taken with a grain of salt. In this instance, if they did speak to your prior school and found out about the c and d threat or if the bar found out, you're done. The risk-reward doesn't check out. You have better evidence than a self reported chart.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I agree that "I have consistently rated my mood at an optimal level" doesn't come across well. Consistently doing as told and rating one's mood is great. Uniformly self-rating as optimal sounds unconvincing. No one's mood is uniformly optimal. But more to the point is that it's an unnecessary detail, and since it's unnecessary, there's no need to include something that could sound disingenuous.

[Anonymous User]

It's full of extra details you don't need but doesn't actually explain what you did and what caused the whole problem.

But I explained what I did (vandalism and harassment) and what caused the whole problem (undiagnosed bipolar disorder).

[Anonymous User]

Should I say that recommendation letters from my treatment providers are available upon request, since that is better evidence than the mood chart?

[Anonymous User]

yes!!!! cut 90 percent of the treatment stuff. your word on your mental health isn't really relevant at all. this would apply the same to addiction, conduct, etc.

to further the mood chart - the most dangerous part of bipolar is the manic part, not the depression part so it's almost worse to be a 5 than it is to be a 1. the truth is it puts you in a catch-22. with the add'l risk of being dishonest, it's a lose lose. just never mention it. DELFG may seem mean, but that's literally what any lawyer would bring up if they knew all the facts.

the missed family vacations evidence of seriousness is just a nightmare. OP be short, short, short. The more you go, the more you dig yourself in.

[Anonymous User]

5 doesn't mean manic. 5 means content. 1 would be manic or depressive.

Anyway, I'm deleting the mood chart piece. Any other detail relatively unimportant? I'm worried about deleting too much because of the "lack of candor" concern with the Bar.

[chem!]

yes!!!! cut 90 percent of the treatment stuff. your word on your mental health isn't really relevant at all. this would apply the same to addiction, conduct, etc.

to further the mood chart - the most dangerous part of bipolar is the manic part, not the depression part so it's almost worse to be a 5 than it is to be a 1. the truth is it puts you in a catch-22. with the add'l risk of being dishonest, it's a lose lose. just never mention it. DELFG may seem mean, but that's literally what any lawyer would bring up if they knew all the facts.

the missed family vacations evidence of seriousness is just a nightmare. OP be short, short, short. The more you go, the more you dig yourself in.

This, this, this.

[Anonymous User]

If I don't fully disclose what I did, I will face the ire of the Board of Law Examiners. Not good. My C&F attorney told me to be as frank as possible.

[worldtraveler]

It's full of extra details you don't need but doesn't actually explain what you did and what caused the whole problem.

But I explained what I did (vandalism and harassment) and what caused the whole problem (undiagnosed bipolar disorder).

No, that's not an explanation. That could be anything from spraypainting graffiti and sending some emails to destroying someone's car and stalking. Just say in two sentences and less adjectives what your actions were.

[Anonymous User]

I did graffiti and transmitting harassing communications.

[worldtraveler]

I did graffiti and transmitting harassing communications.

wtf does that mean?

[Anonymous User]

op - the lawyers meant to be frank about your conduct, not your rehabilitation. be short and positive about the rehabilitation and that's it. you're not a great liar and manipulator. be short and sweet. the longer you go the more you reveal a not so hot mental state. trust me.

graffiti and harassing communications aren't that bad. i think you're getting yourself in more trouble based on your approaches to misconduct than for the misconduct.

[Anonymous User]

emails, in person, phone. "communications" encompasses all of them.

[worldtraveler]

emails, in person, phone. "communications" encompasses all of them.

This is still not answering my question.

[Anonymous User]

I need to include the names of the treatment providers so they can contact them if they so choose.

[Anonymous User]

WT, I made a series of obscene remarks to faculty and administrators because I was upset about a 1L class and not being able to enroll in a desired clinic. Do I really need to say that?

[worldtraveler]

WT, I made a series of obscene remarks to faculty and administrators because I was upset about a 1L class and not being able to enroll in a desired clinic. Do I really need to say that?

Yes. Would you rather them infer you did something worse?

[Anonymous User]

So now you're telling me I need MORE detail when 4,674,343,345 people tell me to cut this thing down?

[A. Nony Mouse]

More detail about what you did. Way less detail about how you feel about it, what you've done in the meantime, and what exactly your therapy entails. And it's not so much that you need to go on at length about your behavior, as that you need to make clear what that was. (Hypothetical re: graffiti - spray-painting the dean's car with obscenities is different from writing "dean x sucks" on a bathroom wall. If you say "vandalism" I'm free to envision the former, which looks worse than the latter.)

[worldtraveler]

So now you're telling me I need MORE detail when 4,674,343,345 people tell me to cut this thing down?

I told you to describe in two sentences what you did and to cut out all the extra details about treatment and family vacations and other crap you don't need.

[BearLaw]

So now you're telling me I need MORE detail when 4,674,343,345 people tell me to cut this thing down?

The Point. You have missed it...

Edit to be more helpful: The advice, as you have consistently received, is to cut the fluff about treatment, meds, doctors, etc. Focus on what you did (give a BRIEF, accurate discription of what you did and who you did it to, 3 sentences at most), why it happened (manic state of undiagnosed bipolar triggered by , X, Y, Z), and what you have done to treat it/rehabilitate(theripy, meds, other work, support group. NO MORE than a single sentence about each). End with statement accepting responsibility, expressing remorse, and looking to moving forward. Boom, done, fine.

[Anonymous User]

Should I say that my treatment provider recommendations are on file and available if they want to see them?

[Anonymous User]

OP if what you did was write the dean sucks on the bathroom that's really not that threatening. all the details on treatment make it seem much worse, like you choked a b or threatened to blow up the school. you don't plead insanity to calling someone a mofo.

[Anonymous User]

I didn't physically harm anyone or make direct threats. I called one of the deans an "insufferable b*tch" because I was upset at her. I referred to another professor as a "sh*thead". The graffiti was on school property (walls).

[Anonymous User]

lol thats immature and strange but not that bad. honestly the bipolar diagnosis is prob more damaging. just say you were stressed and did this, later learned you had bipolar and have done x, y and z. you've made a 5 into a 10 with your histrionics. you make yourself sound dangerous when this is just a bad day at the office.

you certainly don't need a book over this. from the visiting school's perspective, you pay 50k and worst case scenario might call someone a bitch, and require 1k to repaint the walls. the whole intensive treatment thing for page after page makes it seem like you're a columbine in waiting.