Arrested in Europe Forum

[deputamadre]

So, I was arrested for a fight I tried to break up in Europe. Instead of taking it to court to defend myself--which would have been a long process--I decided to pay the fine and let it disappear from my record in 2 years. This happened a few days ago and I'm about to apply to law school.

I assume its right that I check "yes" for the "have you ever been arrested" part of the application. Will this affect my chances? They say that having an arrest really isn't a problem if time passes between that and the law school application because it shows you've "changed," "learned your lesson," etc. This isn't the case for me though.

Note:

never been arrested before
perfect record
was kicked out of university for drinking and punching a wall many years ago

[jump_man]

was kicked out of university for drinking and punching a wall many years ago

Were you expelled? Or did you just mean that you were kicked out of campus housing?

If you were expelled than you are screwed

[deputamadre]

jump_man,

I was suspended for a year, i.e. kicked out of campus housing and kicked out of the univeristy. This part I am not worried about at all.

[northwood]

you need to write an addendum, especially since you have 2 incidents involving fighting ( punching a wall is a sign of agression). You also need to check yes to any questions involving being suspended.

[jump_man]

jump_man,

I was suspended for a year, i.e. kicked out of campus housing and kicked out of the univeristy. This part I am not worried about at all.

Why are you not worried about it? Many law schools look at your disciplinary record as an undergraduate - this is why they ask for a letter from you dean. Additionally, many undergraduate institutions will note your suspension on your final transcript. At the very least law schools would be curious about why you weren't in college for a year.

This is a very serious issue for you, and you definitely need to include a carefully crafted addendum.

[deputamadre]

jump_man,

I was suspended for a year, i.e. kicked out of campus housing and kicked out of the univeristy. This part I am not worried about at all.

Why are you not worried about it? Many law schools look at your disciplinary record as an undergraduate - this is why they ask for a letter from you dean. Additionally, many undergraduate institutions will note your suspension on your final transcript. At the very least law schools would be curious about why you weren't in college for a year.

This is a very serious issue for you, and you definitely need to include a carefully crafted addendum.

I'm not worried about it b/c this is not what I asked in this post.

[CanadianWolf]

Just what did you do in your attempt tp "break-up" the fight ? In conjunction with your undergraduate incident, this recent arrest is likely to raise concerns in the minds of law school admissions officers.

[justadude55]

you're leaving the scope of the question. does he have to disclose a non-US arrest?

that's a damn good question. i have no idea, and although i am curious myself!

my guess is you don't have to, but linguistically, they never specify an american crime.

[deputamadre]

you're leaving the scope of the question. does he have to disclose a non-US arrest?

that's a damn good question. i have no idea, and although i am curious myself!

my guess is you don't have to, but linguistically, they never specify an american crime.

That sure as hell is a great question because I would much rather not disclose it. I believe the language they use on the application is so broad that it in fact does cover things that happen outside the US. Although I'm not sure, can anybody clarify? Can I call the law school and just ask?

[HowdyYall]

you're leaving the scope of the question. does he have to disclose a non-US arrest?

that's a damn good question. i have no idea, and although i am curious myself!

my guess is you don't have to, but linguistically, they never specify an american crime.

OP, DISCLOSE. Do you really want your law degree to be revoked after the Bar finds out about your crime in Europe and informs your school (which it will, they ask for addresses of all places you have lived in the last 5-10 years)? Im pretty sure that arguing that you took some advice from a random person on TLS isnt a valid excuse. Yes it may be easier now not to disclose but IT WILL come back to bite you in the ass after youve spent thousands of dollars and hours on LS.

Other than that I have no clue about how it will affect your chances but good luck

[oshberg28]

you're leaving the scope of the question. does he have to disclose a non-US arrest?

that's a damn good question. i have no idea, and although i am curious myself!

my guess is you don't have to, but linguistically, they never specify an american crime.

That sure as hell is a great question because I would much rather not disclose it. I believe the language they use on the application is so broad that it in fact does cover things that happen outside the US. Although I'm not sure, can anybody clarify? Can I call the law school and just ask?

You absolutely should disclose this...it doesn't make a difference where the incident occurred. An arrest is an arrest. The question doesn't ask "Have you ever been arrested in the United States?". They're curious as to what kind of person they're reviewing. Perhaps an addendum will help. But this coupled with your university suspension incident, it doesn't look promising for you.