Rejected from Safe School (character disclosures) Forum

[thebinginengine]

I have no intention of leaving Cleveland to either study or practice law. I have a four-month old daughter, my girlfriend has a good job here, and both of our families live here. For those reasons, I applied only to Cleveland-Marshall and Case Western. My cumulative GPA, per LSAC's calculation, was a 3.25, but this was held down by an unsuccessful first attempt at college, with a 1.36 GPA in the 2011-12 academic year.

2011-12 - 1.36 GPA, 23 semester hours (Ohio University)
2018-19 - 3.58 GPA, 43 semester hours (Cuyahoga Community College)
2019-20 - 3.74 GPA, 34 semester hours (Cuyahoga Community College)
Fall 2020 - 4.0 GPA, 16 semester hours (+3 pass/fail hours - Cleveland State University)

I am scheduled to graduate from Cleveland State this semester, and I got a 159 on the LSAT (their 75th percentile is a 156). I was working full-time throughout the last three years while going to school full-time, and having a daughter last semester on top of that limited any efforts at preparing for the LSAT. I could absolutely get within the 170s, but I'm worried about the following disclosures on my application:

Winter 2010 - caught stealing bottles of alcohol from Walmart
December 2011 - caught in underage possession of alcohol while my friend was caught with marijuana in a Circle K parking lot
Spring 2012 - academic probation for a semester in which I failed all classes at Ohio University
Fall 2012-13 - withdrew from Ohio University due to mental health condition
March 2013 - caught for underage consumption of alcohol at a college party in West Virginia
April 2013 - caught for underage consumption of alcohol at a college party at Ohio University
January 2015 - adjudication withheld for disorderly conduct - physical altercation with my dad in Naples, FL
September 2019 - cited for driving 111mph in a 70mph zone on the way home from Baltimore

I was denied admission into Cleveland-Marshall, and this tells me I'll likely be denied admission into Case Western. Would any law school accept me given these past incidents? Would another 4.0 semester with 21 credit hours and improvement on the LSAT allow admissions offices to look past them?

[cavalier1138]

There's obviously a ton to say about your situation, but I'll try to distill it to one main point:

If the reason for your rejection was related to your C&F issues (which seems like a reasonable assumption given your stats), then that will not be affected by raising your LSAT or your GPA. The only thing that cures C&F issues is showing schools that you have changed and stand a chance at passing C&F review for the Ohio bar. I would strongly recommend looking into an admissions consultant and/or a C&F lawyer to discuss how to handle your situation.

That said, a higher LSAT would be helpful for getting admission to Case Western if/when you reapply.

[The Lsat Airbender]

Agree with the advice to consult a C&F lawyer who can advise you regarding the Ohio bar. I hate to say it, but that kind of rap sheet has the breadth and depth to be deeply, deeply concerning, and you aren't even 2 years away from the most recent incident.

I was denied admission into Cleveland-Marshall, and this tells me I'll likely be denied admission into Case Western.

You might yet get into CWRU. That said, I would still get the advice of a lawyer about your character & fitness issues. Would be truly heartbreaking to spend 3 years and all that money on law school only to be unable to sit the bar exam.

[thebinginengine]

Thank you both for your responses! I really appreciate it, and I'll look into both an admissions consultant and a C&F lawyer, whether CWRU accepts me or not. If CWRU doesn't accept me, I'll likely retake the LSAT as well. Hopefully, I still have some path to attending one of these schools and some path to passing the Ohio bar. I really have changed in so many ways since those incidents, and I understand the risk of accepting someone with those C&F concerns, but it's gonna be rough if I don't get in, because I have dedicated the last three years to one singular goal, and I'm not sure what I'll do if I can't fulfill it.

[CanadianWolf]

Based on your history, law schools probably want to see proof of attendance in rehab plus regular attendance at AA meetings--otherwise you are too much of a risk to their law school community & to any potential clients. Substance abuse is a primary focus of most state bar associations.