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[a93212]

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[JFO1833]

I don't think anyone can know for sure but I would certainly not keep this from causing you to apply. Just be super honest and disclose everything in line with the requirements for each school. It's important to read the C&F questions carefully ask there are substantial differences in what the schools want to know.

[a93212]

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[srcharls]

I have a similar situation! I got into a boat load of trouble when I was a minor and have since turned it around and am wondering about the effect it will have on my chances. Would love to hear how admissions responded to your application!

[PrezRand]

Chance: Yes

[CanadianWolf]

Much depends upon how you explain your prior life experiences & how well you do on the LSAT. No need to worry now. Just be honest & forthcoming with accurate information when asked.

[Kage3212]

Keep in mind, you should not be trying to "get around" the admission question by figuring out how you can say no. This is because of the dreaded "bar application doesn't align with law school application" disclosure scenario. When you apply for the bar in whatever state, you better believe they will want to know about this information. And when you disclose to the bar committee about this stuff (which you will HAVE to) they will then wonder, if there is a discrepancy, why you did not disclose to your law school when applying. They will not much appreciate a fanciful argument about precise wordings; they will likely flag your application and think you were attempting to hide things.

Point, have the foresight to read the application of the bar you eventually plan on applying to. You REALLY want your law school application C&F disclosures to match up with whatever you inevitably intend to put on your bar application. This will save you from the stress 3 years down the road, when you are worried about not getting admitted to the bar because you did some fancy footwork on your law school app.

[CanadianWolf]

The above post offers great advice, in my opinion. Nevertheless, forgiveness & understanding are alive & well in these types of situations. Many will appreciate how valuable your insights & experiences can be in the criminal justice system.

[rinkrat19]

Agree that you shouldn't be trying to figure out how you can get away with saying 'no.' Even for the schools where you can say no, your story is exactly the textbook rehabilitation tale that idealistic admissions committees would eat up with a spoon. Troubled beginnings and bad choices, check. Hit rock bottom, employ bootstraps to get GED, check. 180 turnaround to perfect college student, check. Reaching towards that next goal in the American dream, check.

Far from trying to downplay or hide it, I'd ride that story as far as I could. Articulate goals for "making a difference" and how your experiences gave you amazing insight and inspiration. Even if you actually want to go into corporate law, it'd be easier to write about wanting to be a prosecutor or defender or a judge since they had such profound effects on your life. (Nobody gets held to the field of law they write about in their personal statements. Otherwise we'd all be public defenders or in international or environmental law.)

Trying to avoid mentioning it is risky. You can check out the bar exam applications in the states you think you might want to end up in and see what they ask about juvenile records, but overdisclosure will pretty much never hurt you as badly as failure to disclose can. Maintain those stellar grades, rock the LSAT, and milk that story for all the bleeding-heart liberal feel-good inspiration you can.