Arrested...again Forum

[Easy-E]

Well I'm an idiot. After about 4 years of no police activity on my record, I managed to get myself arrested for disorderly conduct (fighting) on none other than the first day of law school applications. My C&F page is already fairly long, nothing major, but plenty of minor stuff. I had written a brief addendum explaining how I had learned from my mistakes and developed a respect for the law, but clearly that's going to look like a load of horseshit now. Any suggestions on what to do? Just include the newest fuck-up and leave out the addendum, or is that going to look terrible?

[AlanShore]

depends. will this arrest turn into a conviction of some sort? if not, most schools only ask about convictions.

[NoodleyOne]

I would start by trying to stop being such a jackass.

[taf889]

just say you have lots of experience with the law?

alternatively, you could describe it as something youre struggling with and continuing to work on?

or, you could wait out till next year and say you've learned.

I think the second of the three is your best bet, but take it with a grain of salt as the devil is likely in the details

[specialsnowflake]

i would just disclose and leave the learning from it part out until after all of them. not much you can do other than that

[EllaLemry]

Yes, it will make you look full of shit. I don't think you're an idiot nor would I pass judgment on what happened. If you think you can do something about this (is it always when you're drinking?) I would.

Otherwise, answer every application question truthfully. If they ask for convictions, tell them just the convictions, arrests, tell them everything.

However, before attending, contact the bar association in the state(s) you plan to work. Just because the law school is cool with it doesn't mean the bar will be. But, this happened prior to any investment on your part. So, at least that's silver lining. You have plenty of time to really dig into whether this is going to make it prohibitively difficult for you to pass C&F.

Don't beat yourself up. Or anyone else for that matter.

Best of luck.

[Easy-E]

depends. will this arrest turn into a conviction of some sort? if not, most schools only ask about convictions.

No, just gotta pay up. I've only ever done one application (Rutgers Newark), and it said to disclose everything except minor traffic tickets, including any time you were taken into custody. Is that pretty standard across C&F or does somewhat on what state the school is in?

Thanks for the helpful responses.

[drmguy]

How could you possibly spin this?

[paulinaporizkova]

I would start by trying to stop being such a jackass.

came here to post this

[paulinaporizkova]

Don't beat yourself up.

YOu should definitely beat yourself up. You're a moron and shouldn't be in this profession.

[CyanIdes Of March]

Don't beat yourself up.

YOu should definitely beat yourself up. You're a moron and shouldn't be in this profession.

Unless you were there or have some kind of background knowledge of what happened you should refrain from being such an unwarranted dick.

[Swimp]

Don't beat yourself up.

YOu should definitely beat yourself up. You're a moron and shouldn't be in this profession.

Why did you post this?

[Easy-E]

Don't beat yourself up.

YOu should definitely beat yourself up. You're a moron and shouldn't be in this profession.

Wow thanks. I mean, you don't know a single detail of what happened, but have no problem forming a completely unwarranted conclusion. I'm sure you'll be a worthy addition to the field as well.

[EllaLemry]

How could you possibly spin this?

You can't spin it. But Stephen Glass got to stay at Georgetown even though they must've know he would never pass any bar. There is likely a law school that will overlook this.

The best course of action is to be forthright with the each state you're think you might want to work in and ask them what they'd likely do regarding C&F. I'd ask 3 or 4 states because some of them might say "we handle each application holistically and only make decisions regarding individuals who have completed their JDs." Find a state that will at least say they lean yes or lean no. If one openly says "we're probably not going to let you pass C&F" it might be game over. But you haven't invested anything other than an application fee and the cost of taking the LSAT.

This is probably not going to be fun or easy, but it's a hell of a lot better than if this had happened in the spring of 3L year or something. Either way, you're going to be all right if you intelligently follow a plan of action.

[Mike12188]

Did you win the fight at least?

[Easy-E]

How could you possibly spin this?

You can't spin it. But Stephen Glass got to stay at Georgetown even though they must've know he would never pass any bar. There is likely a law school that will overlook this.

The best course of action is to be forthright with the each state you're think you might want to work in and ask them what they'd likely do regarding C&F. I'd ask 3 or 4 states because some of them might say "we handle each application holistically and only make decisions regarding individuals who have completed their JDs." Find a state that will at least say they lean yes or lean no. If one openly says "we're probably not going to let you pass C&F" it might be game over. But you haven't invested anything other than an application fee and the cost of taking the LSAT.

This is probably not going to be fun or easy, but it's a hell of a lot better than if this had happened in the spring of 3L year or something. Either way, you're going to be all right if you intelligently follow a plan of action.

Yeah, I don't really see spinning it as an option, considering the timeframe. I have fee waivers for the majority of schools I'm applying to as well, so that's a plus. Rutgers-N gave me 20k with all the other C&F issues I had on there (with about a week before classes), so I think I might need to give up on my reaches and just play it safe with schools that I'm above medians at.

[TrialLawyer16]

Don't beat yourself up.

YOu should definitely beat yourself up. You're a moron and shouldn't be in this profession.

Is this really necessary? This response alone shows how shitty your character is.

See what I did there?

[EllaLemry]

Don't beat yourself up.

YOu should definitely beat yourself up. You're a moron and shouldn't be in this profession.

Wow thanks. I mean, you don't know a single detail of what happened, but have no problem forming a completely unwarranted conclusion. I'm sure you'll be a worthy addition to the field as well.

You have no idea what OP's circumstances were, and honestly sound like a very sheltered person...If you spent time outside of a bubble you would know that while no one suddenly finds themselves holding up a convenience store, you could sure as hell suddenly find yourself in a fight...

[EllaLemry]

How could you possibly spin this?

You can't spin it. But Stephen Glass got to stay at Georgetown even though they must've know he would never pass any bar. There is likely a law school that will overlook this.

The best course of action is to be forthright with the each state you're think you might want to work in and ask them what they'd likely do regarding C&F. I'd ask 3 or 4 states because some of them might say "we handle each application holistically and only make decisions regarding individuals who have completed their JDs." Find a state that will at least say they lean yes or lean no. If one openly says "we're probably not going to let you pass C&F" it might be game over. But you haven't invested anything other than an application fee and the cost of taking the LSAT.

This is probably not going to be fun or easy, but it's a hell of a lot better than if this had happened in the spring of 3L year or something. Either way, you're going to be all right if you intelligently follow a plan of action.

Yeah, I don't really see spinning it as an option, considering the timeframe. I have fee waivers for the majority of schools I'm applying to as well, so that's a plus. Rutgers-N gave me 20k with all the other C&F issues I had on there (with about a week before classes), so I think I might need to give up on my reaches and just play it safe with schools that I'm above medians at.

Yeah, you should look into Rutgers policy on disclosing after acceptance? And I wouldn't give up on anything unless application costs are bogging you down. What I would say is that some of these schools are going to play ball with you even if they don't really think you'll pass C&F. Someone might know, but if you don't pass C&F I doubt it impacts their bar passage rate. The thing to do is talk to the state (I assume NY but maybe NJ--also MA and CT aren't crazy out of Rutgers). If you can find a straight shooter it should help you pin down the prospects. If they say, "very possibly if this never happens again"--you need to, I don't know, never leave the house after dark until law school is over.

[Mike12188]

Paulina is a cunt. But a $100 says this was NB and as much as it sucks OP you just gotta get punked out and walk away. Or only go out with friends who will fight for you.

[Easy-E]

How could you possibly spin this?

You can't spin it. But Stephen Glass got to stay at Georgetown even though they must've know he would never pass any bar. There is likely a law school that will overlook this.

The best course of action is to be forthright with the each state you're think you might want to work in and ask them what they'd likely do regarding C&F. I'd ask 3 or 4 states because some of them might say "we handle each application holistically and only make decisions regarding individuals who have completed their JDs." Find a state that will at least say they lean yes or lean no. If one openly says "we're probably not going to let you pass C&F" it might be game over. But you haven't invested anything other than an application fee and the cost of taking the LSAT.

This is probably not going to be fun or easy, but it's a hell of a lot better than if this had happened in the spring of 3L year or something. Either way, you're going to be all right if you intelligently follow a plan of action.

Yeah, I don't really see spinning it as an option, considering the timeframe. I have fee waivers for the majority of schools I'm applying to as well, so that's a plus. Rutgers-N gave me 20k with all the other C&F issues I had on there (with about a week before classes), so I think I might need to give up on my reaches and just play it safe with schools that I'm above medians at.

Yeah, you should look into Rutgers policy on disclosing after acceptance? And I wouldn't give up on anything unless application costs are bogging you down. What I would say is that some of these schools are going to play ball with you even if they don't really think you'll pass C&F. Someone might know, but if you don't pass C&F I doubt it impacts their bar passage rate. The thing to do is talk to the state (I assume NY but maybe NJ--also MA and CT aren't crazy out of Rutgers). If you can find a straight shooter it should help you pin down the prospects. If they say, "very possibly if this never happens again"--you need to, I don't know, never leave the house after dark until law school is over.

No worries with app costs. Yeah, I have concerns that more than a few schools would happily take my money knowing I can't pass C&F in that state. I'm shooting for a pretty small list of states, so shouldn't be too hard to find out if I'm shit outta luck somewhere.

[Easy-E]

Paulina is a cunt. But a $100 says this was NB and as much as it sucks OP you just gotta get punked out and walk away. Or only go out with friends who will fight for you.

NB?

And yeah, should have just let it go. Fight was all but broken up when one kid gives me a shove and a vague threat. Again, should have just walked, but instead I knock him to the ground and go after him. Two of his friends jump in, my friends jump in to pull them off, when the cop shows up I'm on top of the first kid, all of us get arrested. I don't know if there's any argument for self defense (I doubt it since I responded to a shove with a punch), but regardless, it seems like it'd be easier to pay and move on.

[hichvichwoh]

Paulina is a cunt. But a $100 says this was NB and as much as it sucks OP you just gotta get punked out and walk away. Or only go out with friends who will fight for you.

NB?

And yeah, should have just let it go. Fight was all but broken up when one kid gives me a shove and a vague threat. Again, should have just walked, but instead I knock him to the ground and go after him. Two of his friends jump in, my friends jump in to pull them off, when the cop shows up I'm on top of the first kid, all of us get arrested. I don't know if there's any argument for self defense (I doubt it since I responded to a shove with a punch), but regardless, it seems like it'd be easier to pay and move on.

When I was attending orientation, the head C&F guy said it's not necessarily about the crime, it's about showing bad judgment. I would advise against going into this much detail about your decision making leading up to the fight, if you can avoid it, as you clearly showed poor judgment.

[Easy-E]

Paulina is a cunt. But a $100 says this was NB and as much as it sucks OP you just gotta get punked out and walk away. Or only go out with friends who will fight for you.

It's so much easier to not drive drunk than it is to walk away from some ass, or from an ass for that matter

I live where the Jersey Shore is filmed as well, so imagine how difficult it is to walk away from one of those types.

[EllaLemry]

I'm not convinced you're washed up here. Get through the due diligence, apply to the schools you want to attend and keep your nose clean. I promise, this could be much worse if you midway through law school or almost done. Let this play out before you fold on the hand.