Bar application- traffic tickets Forum

[SoberHobo]

I have a lot of traffic tickets in the 12 or so years I've had a driver's license. Having lived in 7 different states and having driven through half the rest, I can't remember all of my tickets or where they were. I've written down about 8 things (speeding, seat belt, incomplete stop, etc.) that I can recall and I've tracked down some records for about half. Not so much luck on the others.

But of course, the bar association asks for paperwork on all of them. Paperwork? I usually just mailed in the ticket with payment and checked the nolo box. Do they expect I kept the flimsy yellow carbon copy? Has anybody gone through this? What kind of hassle do they give you if you can't track down the paperwork?

This is way too tedious....

[A. Nony Mouse]

Go online and find the motor vehicles website for each state and look for the procedure for ordering a driving history report (AKA motor vehicle report/MVR). Use the driving history report for the details, and I presume you could just submit it as paperwork. I think people have also said your insurance company should have records of tickets etc.

If you can't track anything down, I would honestly just say what you said here - that you believe between [date] and [date] you were involved in [estimate] no. of traffic infractions/received [estimate] no. of tickets, but you haven't kept records from that long ago and have been unable to identify any records to confirm any details.

[EvilClinton]

You can honestly pay for a 50 state driving and arrest record for around $120 bucks online (make sure you go through a reputable company). Or you can order your driving and arrest record from each of the individual states.

DO IT THOUGH. Failing to report something (candor) is one of the main reasons people fail C&F.

[I.P. Daly]

You can honestly pay for a 50 state driving and arrest record for around $120 bucks online (make sure you go through a reputable company). Or you can order your driving and arrest record from each of the individual states.

DO IT THOUGH. Failing to report something (candor) is one of the main reasons people fail C&F.

Credited. Most states expunge driving abstracts after a set period (often 3 years), so ordering individual driving abstracts may not be the best method. The C&F committees are really good at finding parking tickets and driving violations, so disclose everything you can find.

[SoberHobo]

Some of these nationwide checks seem pretty sketchy. The only one I've seen that looks any good charges $20-$25 per state, and asks for your driver's license number issued by each state they're checking.

I could check each state myself, but I have the same problem- that the states I'm checking in won't let me proceed unless I provide a DL number issued by that state. I'm just going to write down everything I remember and find what I can.

[spyke123]

You can honestly pay for a 50 state driving and arrest record for around $120 bucks online (make sure you go through a reputable company). Or you can order your driving and arrest record from each of the individual states.

DO IT THOUGH. Failing to report something (candor) is one of the main reasons people fail C&F.

Credited. Most states expunge driving abstracts after a set period (often 3 years), so ordering individual driving abstracts may not be the best method. The C&F committees are really good at finding parking tickets and driving violations, so disclose everything you can find.

wait, they ask for parking tickets too? wow...

why cant this process be just like a regular background check.. where we provide SSN and driver license #.. n whatever they find is a fair game... why make us go thru all this trouble to disclose everything when they probably have a better access to our records anyways?

[I.P. Daly]

Unpaid/past due parking tickets. My friend's girlfriend racked up a ton of unpaid parking tickets with his car. He legitimately had no idea until he got grilled during his C&F interview.

[SoberHobo]

wait, they ask for parking tickets too? wow...

why cant this process be just like a regular background check.. where we provide SSN and driver license #.. n whatever they find is a fair game... why make us go thru all this trouble to disclose everything when they probably have a better access to our records anyways?

The bar I'm applying to specifically excludes parking tickets, but they want to know everything else. But I agree, this is absurd.

[SoberHobo]

Unpaid/past due parking tickets. My friend's girlfriend racked up a ton of unpaid parking tickets with his car. He legitimately had no idea until he got grilled during his C&F interview.

What happened? Did he still make it through?

[iShotFirst]

Are you sure theres not a time limit on what you need to disclose? I have a similar situation with driver's licenses in different states and countries, but my state's app asked for traffic tickets only in the last three years.

[SoberHobo]

Are you sure theres not a time limit on what you need to disclose? I have a similar situation with driver's licenses in different states and countries, but my state's app asked for traffic tickets only in the last three years.

This is the exact language:

"Have you ever received a warning, a ticket or been cited for, arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any traffic violation? Include matters that have been dismissed, expunged, subject to a diversion or deferred prosecution program, or otherwise set aside. (Parking violations DO NOT need to be included)."

Then you have to fill out a form for each incident and provide "a detailed description of the facts and circumstances." OK.....

[I.P. Daly]

Unpaid/past due parking tickets. My friend's girlfriend racked up a ton of unpaid parking tickets with his car. He legitimately had no idea until he got grilled during his C&F interview.

What happened? Did he still make it through?

He was fine, but he said it was extremely nerve-racking. I guess when he sat down the interviewer asked him if he was sure he had disclosed everything on his application. The interviewer then pulled out a list of the past due parking tickets and asked him if there was a reason he had trouble parking legally and paying his parking tickets on time.

[tstyler98]

One of the main things they're looking for is whether you'll disclose any past issues. That's more important (for the most part) than what you actually did. They don't want people who try to hide something. So that's why they ask you to report it yourself.

You should try talking to someone at your school. My school is having programs about how to apply for the bar, including tips on how to get this type of info. So, someone at your school might have some tips. Also, try calling or emailing your state's bar directly. The few times I've emailed mine, they've been relatively helpful.