Applying with a DUI, how much will it hurt? Forum

[zimmerlee]

I'm a class of 2015 prospective K-JD with a 3.80 at a first-tier public school and a 170 on the February LSAT (retaking June).

My DUI was last summer, when I was 20. There was no injury or property damage, just a really dumb decision by me. I could have fought it and tried to weasel out on lower charges, but there was a 5 day jail requirement because of my age and BAC and I didn't want to risk having to deal with that during the school year so I plead out right away (in retrospect maybe a mistake?)

I know it doesn't help but how badly does it hurt? Sans DUI my softs would have been pretty good and with a little improvement on the retake I'd have been in good position.

[WaltGrace83]

Disclaimer: 0L

I think most people say it hurts quite a bit. It isn't going to RUIN your application (I think) but taking a year or two off may make the situation better. Also, dude wtf. Did you enroll yourself in any kind of program? AA? Govt. programs?

[Hoosier2]

Disclaimer: 0L

I think most people say it hurts quite a bit. It isn't going to RUIN your application (I think) but taking a year or two off may make the situation better. Also, dude wtf. Did you enroll yourself in any kind of program? AA? Govt. programs?

No. I had one, it made no noticeable difference on my cycle. I had 3 years between the incident and applying but I was never asked about it in interviews or in general discourse with admissions. Feel free to PM me.

[BillPackets]

Disclaimer: 0L

I think most people say it hurts quite a bit. It isn't going to RUIN your application (I think) but taking a year or two off may make the situation better. Also, dude wtf. Did you enroll yourself in any kind of program? AA? Govt. programs?

Obviously a DUI is dumb, don't think it's necessarily indicative of being an alcoholic however. It's possible he made one stupid decision one night.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

I'm a class of 2015 prospective K-JD with a 3.80 at a first-tier public school and a 170 on the February LSAT (retaking June).

My DUI was last summer, when I was 20. There was no injury or property damage, just a really dumb decision by me. I could have fought it and tried to weasel out on lower charges, but there was a 5 day jail requirement because of my age and BAC and I didn't want to risk having to deal with that during the school year so I plead out right away (in retrospect maybe a mistake?)

I know it doesn't help but how badly does it hurt? Sans DUI my softs would have been pretty good and with a little improvement on the retake I'd have been in good position.

You need to do a lot of research on this. I know someone who got a DUI in law school and graduated class of 2012. He failed the c+f because of the DUI and was not admitted to the bar. He sat out a year, had a professor write him a letter, and reapplied in 2013. Denied again. I would almost certainly wait a couple years to go to law school so this is further in the past and you have more of an established history of lawful behavior.

[bugsy33]

I doubt it will hurt very much, if at all, as long as you explain it and take responsibility. You might want to wait a year or two to let it fade into your past a bit, but I know people who have been admitted to top law schools with much worse. DUI's and MIP's are very common on law school apps.

Just don't do it again man.

[badaboom61]

I'm a class of 2015 prospective K-JD with a 3.80 at a first-tier public school and a 170 on the February LSAT (retaking June).

My DUI was last summer, when I was 20. There was no injury or property damage, just a really dumb decision by me. I could have fought it and tried to weasel out on lower charges, but there was a 5 day jail requirement because of my age and BAC and I didn't want to risk having to deal with that during the school year so I plead out right away (in retrospect maybe a mistake?)

I know it doesn't help but how badly does it hurt? Sans DUI my softs would have been pretty good and with a little improvement on the retake I'd have been in good position.

You need to do a lot of research on this. I know someone who got a DUI in law school and graduated class of 2012. He failed the c+f because of the DUI and was not admitted to the bar. He sat out a year, had a professor write him a letter, and reapplied in 2013. Denied again. I would almost certainly wait a couple years to go to law school so this is further in the past and you have more of an established history of lawful behavior.

I'm not sure how this would impact your admissions chances, but regardless you should much more worried about C&F problems down the road. It would be much worse to get admitted to law school, dump $200k into a law degree, and then not be able to practice than it would be to not be admitted in the first place. It might be worth now to talk a C&F lawyer in the state that you intend to practice in to see if this would raise problems and if so how to mitigate them.

[jarofsoup]

Its going to hurt you much more on the C&F side. Friend had a DUI going into law school and had to have hearing b/f and complete AA before being admitted.

[midwest17]

You should definitely take time off between college and law school.

[WaltGrace83]

Disclaimer: 0L

I think most people say it hurts quite a bit. It isn't going to RUIN your application (I think) but taking a year or two off may make the situation better. Also, dude wtf. Did you enroll yourself in any kind of program? AA? Govt. programs?

Obviously a DUI is dumb, don't think it's necessarily indicative of being an alcoholic however. It's possible he made one stupid decision one night.

I don't want to make this thread about the morality/justification/etc. of a DUI but driving drunk - no matter what the circumstances - is deeply problematic. One "stupid decision one night" can kill people and I am sure a different tune would be hummed if this sort of "stupid decision one night" killed one of your family members.

But the advice above is probably credited too. Talked to a C&F lawyer for the states you may take the bar.

[transferror]

If DUI is summer of '13 and you are class of '15, that 2 years should be enough gap-time that it won't matter. Keep your nose clean, graduate, and it shouldn't have any bearing on your admissions cycle. A DUI might be tough to overcome for C+F if it's while you're in law school, but you should be fine as long as you don't get into any more trouble.

[zimmerlee]

You should definitely take time off between college and law school.

Why do people think I should take time off, assuming the rest of my application comes together? I'm guessing some of you think it's a maturity issue, and I get that. It was a really stupid, immature thing to do and I sincerely regret it and have learned from it.

Other than maturity, is there a benefit to waiting? Would law schools and C&F people look more favorably on someone with a DUI 4 years ago than a DUI 2 years ago? If time doesn't make a difference, I'd really prefer to go directly from college.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

[midwest17]

The more time you put between the DUI and your application / bar application, the more compelling a "I learned, improved, won't do anything like that again" story you can tell. At 2 years it may just look like you haven't been caught again yet.

[somethingdemure]

The DUI won't affect your application at all, but be sure to mention it.

A 5-year-old DUI won't keep you from being admitted to the bar. Most c&f committees want to see rehabilitation, so consider something like therapy. As a sober alcoholic it rubs me the wrong way when people treat AA like detention, some sort of a penance for your mistakes (it's a group of people with the desire to stop drinking--if that doesn't describe you you don't belong). But most people without an alcohol problem don't get DUIs at age 20. The real issue won't be getting into law school, or joining the bar--if you in fact have a problem with control over substances, the DUI will be the least of your problems.

I don't mean to preach, and like I said I don't think everyone who makes a mistake has a substance abuse problem and needs to quit. I just wanted to respond to some of the awful advice in this thread. Feel free to PM me. I have personal experience going through the things you're talking about.

[rhododactylos]

But most people without an alcohol problem don't get DUIs at age 20.

I disagree with this. At that age it's more likely a college kid making a dumb decision. People who get DUIs after their early 20s are more likely to have a drinking problem. (My source on this is a close relative who has worked with a lot of people in these situations.)

[dwil770]

Disclaimer: 0L

I think most people say it hurts quite a bit. It isn't going to RUIN your application (I think) but taking a year or two off may make the situation better. Also, dude wtf. Did you enroll yourself in any kind of program? AA? Govt. programs?

Obviously a DUI is dumb, don't think it's necessarily indicative of being an alcoholic however. It's possible he made one stupid decision one night.

I don't want to make this thread about the morality/justification/etc. of a DUI but driving drunk - no matter what the circumstances - is deeply problematic. One "stupid decision one night" can kill people and I am sure a different tune would be hummed if this sort of "stupid decision one night" killed one of your family members.

But the advice above is probably credited too. Talked to a C&F lawyer for the states you may take the bar.

He was 20. Could have been like a .05 which is nbd

[jdmonkey]

It won't hurt you as long as you disclose. Schools just care about your GPA and LSAT. Does your state allow for expungements for misdemeanors? If yes, I'd do that and then you wouldn't have to mention it at all on many apps. C&F cares about crimes of dishonesty or the same behavior repeated. I would bet the farm your one DUI will not impact your cycle or ability to pass C&F. Don't worry about the DUI just enjoy that 170!

[MonsterTRM]

I also want to point out there's a couple of 0L's who absolutely know nothing about this subject and are commenting.

If you're worried about how it will affect your chances to the bar, talk to a C&F attorney in the state where you want to practice. Talk to someone who actually know what they're talking about.

[jdmonkey]

Only 3 states don't allow convicted felons to sit for the bar exam. Don't fall prey to the OL paranoia. There are ppl. that think that underage drinking or possession will prevent them from being attorneys In reality this is law not the church. Welcome to the profession.

[jdmonkey]

Disclaimer: 0L

I think most people say it hurts quite a bit. It isn't going to RUIN your application (I think) but taking a year or two off may make the situation better. Also, dude wtf. Did you enroll yourself in any kind of program? AA? Govt. programs?

This poster has no idea what he/she is talking about. There is no need to take time off. If you can stay sober without sitting around a bunch of senior citizens telling u how they fucked up their lives then skip AA.

[Brettanomyces]

Disclaimer: 0L

I think most people say it hurts quite a bit. It isn't going to RUIN your application (I think) but taking a year or two off may make the situation better. Also, dude wtf. Did you enroll yourself in any kind of program? AA? Govt. programs?

Obviously a DUI is dumb, don't think it's necessarily indicative of being an alcoholic however. It's possible he made one stupid decision one night.

I don't want to make this thread about the morality/justification/etc. of a DUI but driving drunk - no matter what the circumstances - is deeply problematic. One "stupid decision one night" can kill people and I am sure a different tune would be hummed if this sort of "stupid decision one night" killed one of your family members.

But the advice above is probably credited too. Talked to a C&F lawyer for the states you may take the bar.

He was 20. Could have been like a .05 which is nbd

It's .02 in some states.

[sd5289]

I also want to point out there's a couple of 0L's who absolutely know nothing about this subject and are commenting.

If you're worried about how it will affect your chances to the bar, talk to a C&F attorney in the state where you want to practice. Talk to someone who actually know what they're talking about.

^ This.

It very much depends on the bar you'd be seeking admission to. The fact that your BAC was high enough (in the jurisdiction you're in) to mandate jail time is very problematic. Where I am, which takes underage OUI's very seriously, the first time offender is generally only subject to a suspended license and required to complete treatment in order to get the license back. Unless, of course, they injured someone or their BAC was crazy high.

There are definitely 0L's in here "advising" you and I doubt they even know what their own state's C&F committees are like. Don't ask TLS, ask an attorney who specializes in the C&F review for the bar you want to be admitted to. If you're going to be denied by the C&F committee, it's not even worth it to spend the money and effort on law school. That said, typically the mantra with the C&F review is "disclose, disclose, disclose." Generally the more removed you are from the misconduct, the better off you'll be. An attorney can help you figure out whether you should do that as well.