new york bar admission: is the interview a formality? Forum

[Anonymous User]

third department here. my interview is scheduled on the same day as admission.
suppose we all get our admission certificate on the same day, that means all our certificates will have been ready before our interviews.

how does this make sense, unless the interview is a mere formality?

[piccolittle]

third department here. my interview is scheduled on the same day as admission.
suppose we all get our admission certificate on the same day, that means all our certificates will have been ready before our interviews.

how does this make sense, unless the interview is a mere formality?

Pretty much. They usually take around 5-10 minutes and I think it's just an anti-serial killer screen. As long as you wear a suit, can talk normally about your experience in law school and your future plans, and don't do anything wild, you're fine. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone being rejected at the interview stage.

[nealric]

It's a formality.

[Anonymous User]

i have this question because (1) I got a letter telling me that my application was complete and no documents were missing. it also told me that my application had been forwarded to the committee for review. (2) in the same letter, I got the interview date and swear-in date which are the same.

so, it seems that even before my application had been reviewed, the interview an swear-in date have been set on the same day.

does the statement that my application was complete indicate that there was no red flag with it?

[piccolittle]

so, it seems that even before my application had been reviewed, the interview an swear-in date have been set on the same day.

Pretty sure this is what usually happens. Mine was the day before because I was coming from out of state and it was one of those consolidated programs so I had my interview after the ethics talk, but I'm pretty sure they usually do them on the same day or close to it.

[Anonymous User]

so, the c & f had been cleared even before it was sent to the review committee?

[piccolittle]

so, the c & f had been cleared even before it was sent to the review committee?

I mean, isn't the assumption that once you pass the bar you are getting admitted unless there is a C&F problem? Starting to wonder why you even care. Do you have a C&F issue you're worried about? Just rely on the fact that they assigned you a date, and if there's a problem, they'll tell you.

[Anonymous User]

i don't, except that an ex-employer refused to send me an employment affidavit (just like they withheld my W2 form and got penalized). I filed a due diligence affidavit detailing my effort to get it but failed and included it in my application package.

I was told that getting admitted is a privilege not a right. so, passing the bar =/= getting admitted.

[piccolittle]

I was told that getting admitted is a privilege not a right. so, passing the bar =/= getting admitted.

That's true, in that they have discretion not to admit you. However, those decisions aren't arbitrary, and it's certainly more common to be admitted than to be rejected for C&F reasons. The worst thing that could happen is perhaps that your admission gets delayed because of the paperwork issues. I'm sure you're fine Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

[Anonymous User]

thanks. very helpful already.

[Rams55]

Most people have already submitted the C&F materials? I was told that a lot of people take care of that after the exam. Am I way off on that?

[clockwerk]

A friend of mine got a 15 minute lecture over a parking ticket s/he paid late when s/he was in college, although s/he still got admitted.

[Woriesq]

Definitely, formality... I spent three months torturing myself over the "interview" but it's no big deal.

[EliotAlderson]

third department here. my interview is scheduled on the same day as admission.
suppose we all get our admission certificate on the same day, that means all our certificates will have been ready before our interviews.

how does this make sense, unless the interview is a mere formality?

Pretty much. They usually take around 5-10 minutes and I think it's just an anti-serial killer screen. As long as you wear a suit, can talk normally about your experience in law school and your future plans, and don't do anything wild, you're fine. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone being rejected at the interview stage.

This. Have a few arrests back when I was young and dumb (still dumb, no longer young). No issues. Had a friend that got caught up in C&F, took about half year to sort out. Once his interview was scheduled, swearing in was shortly after

[dixiecupdrinking]

My interviewer pretended to screw with me for 30 seconds about an old speeding ticket and then said congratulations on joining the bar, and we talked about my career plans for a while. You could blow it by walking in covered in blood I guess, but it's usually a formality.

[2014]

Why are you so paranoid/approaching this as conspiracy theory? If you fail the interview they won't issue the certificate, it doesn't matter at all that they have been printed. There are a bunch of kids in Africa wearing Atlanta Falcons super bowl champion shirts too...

The 3rd department does this as a courtesy because Albany is where all of the out of staters have to go to get admitted and it would be cumbersome to have you travel in twice or stay an extra night. Other departments where people live closer do their interviews on different days than swearing in and it doesn't make either more or less legitimate.

[JenDarby]

Why are you so paranoid/approaching this as conspiracy theory? If you fail the interview they won't issue the certificate, it doesn't matter at all that they have been printed. There are a bunch of kids in Africa wearing Atlanta Falcons super bowl champion shirts too...

The 3rd department does this as a courtesy because Albany is where all of the out of staters have to go to get admitted and it would be cumbersome to have you travel in twice or stay an extra night. Other departments where people live closer do their interviews on different days than swearing in and it doesn't make either more or less legitimate.

Lol check out the dates - this bump was 5 years too late

[2014]

Why are you so paranoid/approaching this as conspiracy theory? If you fail the interview they won't issue the certificate, it doesn't matter at all that they have been printed. There are a bunch of kids in Africa wearing Atlanta Falcons super bowl champion shirts too...

The 3rd department does this as a courtesy because Albany is where all of the out of staters have to go to get admitted and it would be cumbersome to have you travel in twice or stay an extra night. Other departments where people live closer do their interviews on different days than swearing in and it doesn't make either more or less legitimate.

Lol check out the dates - this bump was 5 years too late

lol whoops

Should have made reference to Patriots shirts