Character and fitness attorney Forum

[Manali]

The C&F attorney that my Dean recommended charges $590 an hour. Is this a reasonable amount or should I keep shopping around? I need his assistance in drafting my bar application and representing me in any hearings if necessary. He has decades of experience, is member of the judicial conduct board of my state, and has successfully represented students from my school.

[Anonymous User]

seems like a lot to be especially when theres probably little overhead to his practice.... but I dont know really what C&f attorneys usually charge

[Anonymous User]

I was recently admitted in CA with several substance abuse related convictions. I hired an attorney who charged 375 but I am not in NY/DC/SF so the rate is naturally lower. In retrospect, I probably could have handled much of what the attorney did myself but I don't regret shelling out the 4-5K it cost me. Admission is the culmination of years of study and quite possibly 200K already spent and you're better off being safe than sorry. With that said, 590 is pretty high. You might shop around a little bit. Bar applications are not rocket science and you may be able find somebody cheaper who will do a good job. And, unless you actually progress to a hearing, you're attorney's name will not be on anything you present. Everything will go out under your name.

[Manali]

I was recently admitted in CA with several substance abuse related convictions. I hired an attorney who charged 375 but I am not in NY/DC/SF so the rate is naturally lower. In retrospect, I probably could have handled much of what the attorney did myself but I don't regret shelling out the 4-5K it cost me. Admission is the culmination of years of study and quite possibly 200K already spent and you're better off being safe than sorry. With that said, 590 is pretty high. You might shop around a little bit. Bar applications are not rocket science and you may be able find somebody cheaper who will do a good job. And, unless you actually progress to a hearing, you're attorney's name will not be on anything you present. Everything will go out under your name.

Did you get to the hearing stage?

[Anonymous User]

Negative.

[Anonymous User]

I was recently admitted in CA with several substance abuse related convictions. I hired an attorney who charged 375 but I am not in NY/DC/SF so the rate is naturally lower. In retrospect, I probably could have handled much of what the attorney did myself but I don't regret shelling out the 4-5K it cost me. Admission is the culmination of years of study and quite possibly 200K already spent and you're better off being safe than sorry. With that said, 590 is pretty high. You might shop around a little bit. Bar applications are not rocket science and you may be able find somebody cheaper who will do a good job. And, unless you actually progress to a hearing, you're attorney's name will not be on anything you present. Everything will go out under your name.

Misdemeanors? Felonies? How long ago was the last one?

[Borhas]

The C&F attorney that my Dean recommended charges $590 an hour. Is this a reasonable amount or should I keep shopping around? I need his assistance in drafting my bar application and representing me in any hearings if necessary. He has decades of experience, is member of the judicial conduct board of my state, and has successfully represented students from my school.

One of my buddies had to get one and that's in the ball park of what you should expect to pay, though probably on the higher end

[Anonymous User]

CA anon from above. 3 misdemeanors and a history of drug addiction. I was last arrested almost five years prior to my admission. I was sober from a week before law school onwards. Had been doing dat oxy. Would not recommend.

[Manali]

The C&F attorney that my Dean recommended charges $590 an hour. Is this a reasonable amount or should I keep shopping around? I need his assistance in drafting my bar application and representing me in any hearings if necessary. He has decades of experience, is member of the judicial conduct board of my state, and has successfully represented students from my school.

One of my buddies had to get one and that's in the ball park of what you should expect to pay, though probably on the higher end

What C&F problems did your buddy have?

[rdawkins28]

Whoa camel whoa.

[kellyfrost]

We used one that was billing at $550 an hour. Some of the things he did for us initially was worth the $550. And he confirmed that we were okay so we definitely slept better. But then we made the mistake of asking him to look over a response to a motion, which didn't have much to do with his expertise, and that was a big waste of money.

"We?" Did you and your significant other / spouse both have character and fitness issues?

[jphiggo]

He's probably just subconsciously channeling Drumpf.

[rdawkins28]

Hi Mom.

[kellyfrost]

We used one that was billing at $550 an hour. Some of the things he did for us initially was worth the $550. And he confirmed that we were okay so we definitely slept better. But then we made the mistake of asking him to look over a response to a motion, which didn't have much to do with his expertise, and that was a big waste of money.

"We?" Did you and your significant other / spouse both have character and fitness issues?

"We" as in another lawyer and I. And I guess technically it was for an ethics issue, and not C&F. Anyhoo, $590 doesn't seem to be out of place, though high.

"I 'guess technically' it was for an ethics issue" -- I guess, technically, you can call it whatever you want.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I think he means it was post-bar-admission rather than getting through C&F for the bar.

[jdmonkey]

I wouldn't hire a lawyer filling out the bar application. You just disclose the facts and any evidence of rehabilitation. If they ask you to come in for a hearing that's when I'd hire one. I don't see how your lawyer could spin your bar app. any better than you could.

[Manali]

I wouldn't hire a lawyer filling out the bar application. You just disclose the facts and any evidence of rehabilitation. If they ask you to come in for a hearing that's when I'd hire one. I don't see how your lawyer could spin your bar app. any better than you could.

Best to be safe than sorry. Also, I sent a FERPA request to my school and got back a CD with 1600+ PDFs of disciplinary records (although there are some duplicates). That's a lot to sift through and process.

[Borhas]

The C&F attorney that my Dean recommended charges $590 an hour. Is this a reasonable amount or should I keep shopping around? I need his assistance in drafting my bar application and representing me in any hearings if necessary. He has decades of experience, is member of the judicial conduct board of my state, and has successfully represented students from my school.

One of my buddies had to get one and that's in the ball park of what you should expect to pay, though probably on the higher end

What C&F problems did your buddy have?

something undisclosed on their law school application, don't remember what it was though

[Manali]

I found an attorney recommended by Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers in my state who charges only $350/hour. Should I settle on him or can I realistically find someone who charges even lower?

[Anonymous User]

I've worked with a highly respected c&f lawyer, and am not happy. It takes over a month to have anything reviewed, and my work has been delayed. I paid a big retainer, and before reviewing my disclosures they wanted all the records to know (1) I'm being honest and (2) what to disclose. Fine. After accepting a meeting invitation, I was told I have to disclose x, y and z, which I had already done on the disclosures. Now most of my time is gone, and the disclosures aren't reviewed yet and won't be for at least 2 more weeks (we're now on 3 months). At the end of the day, you cannot predict cost, and it's luck. One thing to consider is you don't have the same rights you would have hiring other lawyers, because filing a complaint against a c&f lawyer could be catastrophic so you're really blindly trusting people. Go with who you trust, not hourly rate. The $375 person may be 20k, and the $500 may be 5k. Unless you have a source who worked with them, you have no way of knowing.

[Manali]

I've worked with a highly respected c&f lawyer, and am not happy. It takes over a month to have anything reviewed, and my work has been delayed. I paid a big retainer, and before reviewing my disclosures they wanted all the records to know (1) I'm being honest and (2) what to disclose. Fine. After accepting a meeting invitation, I was told I have to disclose x, y and z, which I had already done on the disclosures. Now most of my time is gone, and the disclosures aren't reviewed yet and won't be for at least 2 more weeks (we're now on 3 months). At the end of the day, you cannot predict cost, and it's luck. One thing to consider is you don't have the same rights you would have hiring other lawyers, because filing a complaint against a c&f lawyer could be catastrophic so you're really blindly trusting people. Go with who you trust, not hourly rate. The $375 person may be 20k, and the $500 may be 5k. Unless you have a source who worked with them, you have no way of knowing.

Woah. When is your bar application due? It seems like most deadlines have passed.

[Anonymous User]

I've worked with a highly respected c&f lawyer, and am not happy. It takes over a month to have anything reviewed, and my work has been delayed. I paid a big retainer, and before reviewing my disclosures they wanted all the records to know (1) I'm being honest and (2) what to disclose. Fine. After accepting a meeting invitation, I was told I have to disclose x, y and z, which I had already done on the disclosures. Now most of my time is gone, and the disclosures aren't reviewed yet and won't be for at least 2 more weeks (we're now on 3 months). At the end of the day, you cannot predict cost, and it's luck. One thing to consider is you don't have the same rights you would have hiring other lawyers, because filing a complaint against a c&f lawyer could be catastrophic so you're really blindly trusting people. Go with who you trust, not hourly rate. The $375 person may be 20k, and the $500 may be 5k. Unless you have a source who worked with them, you have no way of knowing.

Woah. When is your bar application due? It seems like most deadlines have passed.

im in a state that does it vice versa. im fortunate to be the type that doesnt need to study, and tests well because i don't really have the capacity to feel scared/stressedd, which is ironically tangentially related to my c&f issues. full circle.

[Anonymous User]

I had a DUI as a 1L, a ticket for alcohol in a public place a few years before, and was written up in the dorm as a freshman for an alcohol violation. It wouldn't have occurred to me to hire an attorney for the C&F process. I acknowledged my mistakes, explained why they haven't happened again, and met with the guy for 15-20 minutes so he could grill me a little bit.

[Manali]

I had a DUI as a 1L, a ticket for alcohol in a public place a few years before, and was written up in the dorm as a freshman for an alcohol violation. It wouldn't have occurred to me to hire an attorney for the C&F process. I acknowledged my mistakes, explained why they haven't happened again, and met with the guy for 15-20 minutes so he could grill me a little bit.

Was this in NY?

[Anonymous User]

Illinois