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norkanite wrote:If I were you, I would email this word-for-word to the partners you've met and expect to work with during your summer.

norkanite wrote:If I were you, I would email this word-for-word to the partners you've met and expect to work with during your summer.

Murdock wrote:'Ello folks,

Current 2L here. I apologize in advance for this extremely stupid C&F question.

I am in a state with an extremely broad question about past criminal conduct. It asks whether I have "ever been arrested, charged, cited, accused, or prosecuted for any crime by a law enforcement agency," or "have ever been the subject of any investigation by a law enforcement agency, civil or administrative agency, professional organization, corporation, board or any other agency..."

I have never been arrested, cited, or charged with any crime. I have never even received a speeding ticket. Or a parking ticket for that matter. But I am wondering whether I have to disclose anything from this dumb story about my apartment mates getting in trouble with the police (I realize the general rule is to disclose, but, as you will see, I'm currently leaning against it because my involvement in this is so peripheral that I am embarrassed to disclose it):

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My senior year of undergrad I had a "party" at the on-campus apartment I shared with three roommates. I put party in quotes because there were like 8 people. One of my roommates was a douchebucket. Douchebucket invited one of his friends, a sophomore-year girl (under 21). She came to the party with a water bottle of vodka and orange juice. We had all met her before, but she was only really friendly with douchebucket. So basically she hung out with him and his friends, and I hung out with my friends. Party went fine, me and my friend left for another party with some people, night ended.

The next day two campus police officers came to our apartment. Turns out Douchebucket's friend ended up getting really drunk by the end of the night and the police were retracing her steps. I barely spoke to them at all, but they did write down all four of our names and student ID numbers. Long story short, they initially talked to all of us about whether she was drinking there (my roommate told them she had her own drink but we couldn't say for sure she didn't drink anything here), but then they pretty quickly focused on Douchebucket and making sure he didn't drug her. They asked Douchebucket if he had any drugs or drug paraphernalia, and he gave them a weed pipe he had (I don't smoke weed). My friend roommate also gave them a weed grinder. When I was asked I simply told the truth, that I didn't use drugs and didn't have anything to turn over. They left.

Douchebucket and my friend roommate weren't arrested, but they got referred to the dean for drug paraphernalia. Douchebucket got investigated more after the fact because, until tests apparently came back negative, they were wondering if he'd drugged her.

I never did anything wrong, and, more importantly, was never cited with anything, arrested, referred to the dean, or anything. Zero official trouble or paperwork of any kind. Which was appropriate, seeing as I didn't do anything illegal. I moved into a different apartment my next semester.

As a side note, the cops ended up going to bat for my friend roommate. I represented my friend roommate before the Judicial Council and when asked whether my roommate was cooperative, the cop replied "Yes, so much so it was to your detriment." The other cop gave me advice for my friend's hearing, told me that I should consider a career as a police detective or a criminal defense lawyer, and thanked me for helping out my friend roommate (they only wanted to get Douchebucket, and were mad that my friend roommate had volunteered his drug paraphernalia because they took a liking to him). Not sure what that has to do with my question, but it was funny nonetheless.
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So there ya go, a long, rambling story about me being in proximity to other people doing illegal things and talking to the police. Any need to disclose? Was I, under any reasonable interpretation, "accused" of a crime or the "subject of an investigation" when the police spoke to us all? Could that question possibly be asking me to disclose informal contact with the police? I assumed, since the instructions all talk about providing the "name of the court" and other official stuff, that it required something more formal than a stern talk with a cop.

I'm going to get a consultation with a C&F lawyer next year to see what they say, but I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts now. My hunch is that I'm just being an anxious loser. I have a summer associate position lined up, so I don't want to mess that up.

Whatta y'all think?

NotMyRealName09 wrote:Yeah disclose, no one will care at all.

daleearnhardt123 wrote:Let me get the obligatory "not a lawyer, and this isn't C&F advice" disclosure out of the way before I dispense some common sense, something this thread is woefully lacking.

First, how do you even remember something this trivial? Do you remember every instance in your life where an acquaintance of yours was accused of something? Do you really think you need to report this? If so, how about the following:

-The police suspect there is a drug-dealer on your block. In the course of speaking with all neighbors they come to your door, question you, and ask to perform a consent search. They find nothing and wish you a pleasant day. Report?

-Your high school principal comes to learn that a textbook was stolen in a classroom which you were known to be in. The principal calls you into your office to ask you about the matter. You inform her that you don't steal textbooks, and she sends you on your way. Report?

-Your mom finds that the remote control to the TV is missing and concludes that either you or your sister must be the culprit. She interrogates both of you, neither confess, but she grounds each of you for a week. Report?

AVBucks4239 wrote:

daleearnhardt123 wrote:Let me get the obligatory "not a lawyer, and this isn't C&F advice" disclosure out of the way before I dispense some common sense, something this thread is woefully lacking.

First, how do you even remember something this trivial? Do you remember every instance in your life where an acquaintance of yours was accused of something? Do you really think you need to report this? If so, how about the following:

-The police suspect there is a drug-dealer on your block. In the course of speaking with all neighbors they come to your door, question you, and ask to perform a consent search. They find nothing and wish you a pleasant day. Report?

-Your high school principal comes to learn that a textbook was stolen in a classroom which you were known to be in. The principal calls you into your office to ask you about the matter. You inform her that you don't steal textbooks, and she sends you on your way. Report?

-Your mom finds that the remote control to the TV is missing and concludes that either you or your sister must be the culprit. She interrogates both of you, neither confess, but she grounds each of you for a week. Report?

Considering the question asks for interrogation from a "law enforcement agency," no to the final two. I'd probably report the first one, though, given the breadth of the question OP listed.

ETA: LOL at "dispensing common sense." You're going to hate judges and clients, man.