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Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:36 am**

I'm keen on going to UIUC but if I get accepted I'll likely not recieve too much in the way of $$. I haven't taken the LSAT yet although i'm in the Princeton Summer Course and my scores are in the high 160-low 170 range. God willing and the crick don't rise I can translate those scores into the October exam. However my LSAC GPA is a rather shittastic 2.5-2.6ish.

By my calculations (by which I mean the calculations of the various free metrics all over the web) if I do get into UIUC, I would not be very high on the list of students to whom they would offer merit based aid. I doubt I qualify for need based aid, but I haven't checked.

I have many friends in Chicago. I have one female friend in particular who would be ok with getting "married" to me to establish residency and thereby qualify for in-state tuition. Obviously I'd have to check and see how exactly that would work, but is this something that would look fishy to the Bar Association? Would UIUC question me about it? Would this demonstrate poor moral character, and act as a demerit once I finish school? Would it be viewed as me gaming the system just to get ahead and raise red flags? Has anyone ever done this before (someone has to)?

Thanks

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:38 am**

Come back when you marry someone so they can get their green card.

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:41 am**

It probably isn't worth the 21 thousand you'll save to get married.

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:43 am**

Getting married seems pretty extreme. Why not just look into residency requirements (How long you have to live there, etc) and then meet them? I am not sure being married to a resident makes you a resident (I know it doesn't in CA), it isn't like citizenship normally.

In terms of the moral issues, who knows. It seems shady. When in doubt, don't?

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:45 am**

Please tell us more about said "friend" and why she is willing to go through with this.

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:46 am**

go for it

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:50 am**

I cant imagine any downside to it, go ahead, and keep us updated.

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:51 am**

I mean, whats the WORST that could happen right?

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:52 am**

I can't say whether you'll have trouble with the bar association, but you will have to answer to Jesus.

Edit: checked with Jesus, he says go for it.

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:53 am**

Teoeo wrote:I mean, whats the WORST that could happen right?

1) She rats you out
2) She falls in love, gets scorned, divorces you, asks for maintenance because she put you through law school, and then you spend 10 grand on a lawyer.

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:53 am**

I was being sarcastic o_O

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:53 am**

Bildungsroman wrote:You may not have trouble with the bar association, but you will have to answer to Jesus.

Edit: checked with Jesus, he says go for it.

http://i.imgur.com/BgC3P.jpg

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 11:55 am**

A broke and desperate college student...
His adorable but unassumingly attractive female friend...
70,000 dollars...

(zany something falling and someone getting mud on them or something clip here)

COMING THIS FALL

See what happens when two best friends with everything to gain, end up getting so much more.

(Screen goes black, hear sounds of baby crying, teary voice says "he's beautiful!")

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:01 pm**

Saving 21K is reason enough to look into it. Might be a pittance to some, but that's 21K I don't have to pay back later. And yea I guess she could end up acting crazy (women never do this of course) and screwing it up, but I've known this woman for 8 years and were about as close as two heteros can be without having feelings for eachother.

Anytime to screw around with emotion and romance you're playing with fire, and I understand the interpersonal risks (not to mention the spiritual risks), but would either the institution question me on it, or would the bar notice that I just happaned to be married and divorced for the minimum amount of time necessary to qualify for residency and deem me of questionable character?

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:02 pm**

Desert Fox wrote:2) She falls in love, gets scorned, divorces you, asks for maintenance because she put you through law school, and then you spend 10 grand on a lawyer.

Haha. Also, she got knocked up by some other guy & claims the baby is yours. Now you're paying child support while she lives with the father. Not sure how difficult it us to get a DNA test, but you'd have to rat yourself to go for it

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:02 pm**

Don't forget the prenups broski.

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:02 pm**

I mean, this is obviously fraud, and now it is memorialized on the internet, pretty much bad news bears.

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:03 pm**

joeshmo39 wrote:A broke and desperate college student...
His adorable but unassumingly attractive female friend...
70,000 dollars...

(zany something falling and someone getting mud on them or something clip here)

COMING THIS FALL

See what happens when two best friends with everything to gain, end up getting so much more.

(Screen goes black, hear sounds of baby crying, teary voice says "he's beautiful!")

Awesome. I nearly spilled my coffee on my work computer, thanks!

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:04 pm**

Teoeo wrote:I mean, this is obviously fraud, and now it is memorialized on the internet, pretty much bad news bears.

Marriage is a fiscal transaction. Why must love necessarily be a part of it? Why can't two platonic friends marry for financial benefits? I don't recall there being some quasi- Defense of Marriage Act which required that all married couples love each other. Although that would be fantastic. One more way to annul the marriage!

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:05 pm**

vandalvideo wrote:
Teoeo wrote:I mean, this is obviously fraud, and now it is memorialized on the internet, pretty much bad news bears.
Marriage is a fiscal transaction. Why must love necessarily be a part of it? Why can't two platonic friends marry for financial benefits? I don't recall there being some quasi- Defense of Marriage Act which required that all married couples love each other. Although that would be fantastic.

I am sure that would be a really convincing defense in court.

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:06 pm**

skaxfif wrote:
joeshmo39 wrote:A broke and desperate college student...
His adorable but unassumingly attractive female friend...
70,000 dollars...

(zany something falling and someone getting mud on them or something clip here)

COMING THIS FALL

See what happens when two best friends with everything to gain, end up getting so much more.

(Screen goes black, hear sounds of baby crying, teary voice says "he's beautiful!")
Awesome. I nearly spilled my coffee on my work computer, thanks!

I understand your excitement. Clearly you would be played by Ashton Kutcher. This means you would probably GET TO MEET HIM!

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:13 pm**

Anytime the question is "Can they catch me?" the correct answer is always "Don't do it." I'm sure I'll be called out as a dumb 0L but you're entering into a contract for the purpose of defrauding the government. Green card marriages are a crime, as is "marriage fraud" in general so clearly the "how can you judge a marriage" argument doesn't hold up. Also, I am not sure if the residency tuition qualifies but if you commit fraud in obtaining federal loans it is a felony. This is NOT worth the risk. $21,000 less in loans won't mean anything if you aren't admitted to the bar over it.

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:19 pm**

Teoeo wrote:
vandalvideo wrote:
Teoeo wrote:I mean, this is obviously fraud, and now it is memorialized on the internet, pretty much bad news bears.
Marriage is a fiscal transaction. Why must love necessarily be a part of it? Why can't two platonic friends marry for financial benefits? I don't recall there being some quasi- Defense of Marriage Act which required that all married couples love each other. Although that would be fantastic.
I am sure that would be a really convincing defense in court.

I fail to see how this is fraud by any legal reasoning. However my sense is that the Bar or UICU in this case, could just say "this is fucked up" without resorting to questions of legality. To me this option is clearly legal, but is it ethical, by which I mean is it unethical to the extent that it raises a red flag?
Whatever, this is probably conjecture, I was mostly looking to see if anyone has ever heard of it happening and if there were any unforseen consequenses, outside of becoming the subject of the next Hollywood blockbuster (read: shitty indie film that places show at Cannes)

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:20 pm**

vandalvideo wrote:Don't forget the prenups broski.

Posted: **Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:21 pm**

jks289 wrote:Anytime the question is "Can they catch me?" the correct answer is always "Don't do it." I'm sure I'll be called out as a dumb 0L but you're entering into a contract for the purpose of defrauding the government. Green card marriages are a crime, as is "marriage fraud" in general so clearly the "how can you judge a marriage" argument doesn't hold up. Also, I am not sure if the residency tuition qualifies but if you commit fraud in obtaining federal loans it is a felony. This is NOT worth the risk. $21,000 less in loans won't mean anything if you aren't admitted to the bar over it.

Given the questions asked when federal officers investigate so-called 'fraud marriages': http://www.immihelp.com/greencard/famil ... rview.html
I don't think he'll have a problem skirting the issue.

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