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First off, this is my first post here and I just joined today, mainly because I can't sit around waiting for my June LSAT any longer.

Anyways, as an 18 year old I was cited with Disorderly Conduct- the cops busted a party I was at and I tried to run from the cops for a bit. They could have charged me with an Underage and a slew of other stuff, but they knew I was a good kid and what not so I was only charged with Disorderly Conduct. I recently ordered a background check of myself from my state police just to make sure, and yes it was expunged from my record.

I've heard that even if it is expunged I should make note of it on my Law School applications- is this correct? And how bad will it look on an application? Otherwise, I've had a clean record outside of a few homicides. Just kidding.

When in doubt, disclose. You will be fine.

AsylumPB wrote:When in doubt, disclose. You will be fine.

+1

They have let convicted murders into the bar, but they have denied people for excessive speeding tickets who did not properly disclose.

Disclose, explain, shouldn't hurt you, say goodbye to the track scholarship.

Agree with full disclosure. Your offense isn't terrible and it won't be a setback. Many kids on this site seem to believe that full disclosure will absolve them of all their sins. This is untrue. Disclosing you are a convicted murderer or rapist will not get you into law school no matter how forthcoming and candid you are.

A good rule of thumb is FARTMAN. If you have been convicted of any of the following, you may not be admitted to law school and you certainly will not be admitted to a bar:

F-Fraud
A-Arson
R-Rape
T-Theft
M-Murder
A-Accessory to any of the other crimes listed herein
N-Necrophilia

CanadianWolf wrote:Disclose, explain, shouldn't hurt you, say goodbye to the track scholarship.

CW speaks the truth. Especially the part about the track scholly

Disclose the disorderly conduct. I would try to keep those homicides hidden though.

My opinion differs: If it was legally expunged you are under no obligation to disclose any occurrence if and only if it states something like this "If your records were expunged pursuant to applicable law, you are not required to answer yes". If it does not state that added line, then you need to disclosure any crime juvenile or adult even if expunged. You are afforded that right to answer no when you through the time and costs for record expungement. Even though you have to disclose expunged crimes to the BAR, the board of examiners should under no circumstance hold the fact that you answered "no" against you or exclude you from practice.
You can probably count on a informal hearing, especially in strict states, depending on what the charge is even if you disclosed. At this time you can state that it explicitly stated that if expunged it was not required to be disclosed.

Of course I am not a Board of Examiner nor do I work for attorneys who represent those seeking admissions but law school is competitive and why have one thing against you when you are not required to inform them of such acts.

I would disclose regardless of the legal technicalities of expungement. The real key is the phrasing on the law school application. If it asks "have you ever been arrested or charged with a crime" then you must disclose. I know of bar background checks that revealed Halloween type pranks by the applicant when less than 10 years old that did not involve arrest or charges but merely a neighbor's phone call to a local police dept. reporting the missing pumpkin & naming several neighborhood children whose names remained in the local police files for decades apparently.
However, it is also wise to disclose only the relevant information such as I received a citation for disorderly conduct for attending a teenage party. The citation was later expunged from "the" records (not "my" record). Don't volunteer that you could also have been cited for other violations. Offer a short, concise, accurate explanation; do not think that you are in a confessional and must admit every impure thought before the Almighty or forever face damnation.

pinellasgrad wrote:My opinion differs: If it was legally expunged you are under no obligation to disclose any occurrence if and only if it states something like this "If your records were expunged pursuant to applicable law, you are not required to answer yes". If it does not state that added line, then you need to disclosure any crime juvenile or adult even if expunged. You are afforded that right to answer no when you through the time and costs for record expungement. Even though you have to disclose expunged crimes to the BAR, the board of examiners should under no circumstance hold the fact that you answered "no" against you or exclude you from practice.
You can probably count on a informal hearing, especially in strict states, depending on what the charge is even if you disclosed. At this time you can state that it explicitly stated that if expunged it was not required to be disclosed.

Of course I am not a Board of Examiner nor do I work for attorneys who represent those seeking admissions but law school is competitive and why have one thing against you when you are not required to inform them of such acts.

100% WRONG. Law schools don't give a shit about disorderly conduct, but, they care a lot about honesty and disclosure. Don't try to play 'lawyer' and technicalities with real lawyers. The only way you can hurt yourself is by failing to disclose.

Additionally, a major part of maturity is accepting responsibility for you past. If you own your past, no one can use it against you.

This is difficult. I do think that if an application states, for example, "if your record was expunged you are not obligated to disclose past arrests" or something of that nature, I would think that they mean what they are saying. That being the case, I can't imagine actually seeing that on an application, as I've never seen anything like that on scholarship, job, or college applications.

Some states also have two or more different levels of expungement. Texas, for instance, doesn't require that you disclose expunged offenses, even to the Bar, if the expungement is of a certain "strength."

However, for something like disorderly conduct, I would not hesitate to disclose it. Nobody is going to care. Plus, you don't want this hanging around in the back of your mind for three years. Once you disclose it, forget about it.

that's a good point, thanks.