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Is anyone else dealing with anxiety stemming from the bar exam or the character and fitness? I just had to make some fairly substantial amendments to my law school application and that is stressing me out!!

Guess I am the only one... odd

Crash32 wrote:Is anyone else dealing with anxiety stemming from the bar exam or the character and fitness? I just had to make some fairly substantial amendments to my law school application and that is stressing me out!!

Just remember that convicted murderers have been admitted to the bar. You will be fine.

When in doubt, disclose and document. When in serious doubt, lawyer up. Owning up to stupid shit looks far better than even a passing appearance of covering it up.

I had to put my C&F app in the flat rate box because it was so heavy that regular post was more expensive.

Bikeflip wrote:When in doubt, disclose and document. When in serious doubt, lawyer up. Owning up to stupid shit looks far better than even a passing appearance of covering it up.

Oh yea, I am doing everything possible to be an open book for the process, no point in trying to hide anything. It just sucks, it feels like I am vulnerable to a kick in the stomach.

criminaltheory wrote:I had to put my C&F app in the flat rate box because it was so heavy that regular post was more expensive.

Wow. Are you taking it in July or have you already taken it?

Crash32 wrote:

criminaltheory wrote:I had to put my C&F app in the flat rate box because it was so heavy that regular post was more expensive.

Wow. Are you taking it in July or have you already taken it?

I'm in a state that lets 1Ls file C&F early

What kind of amendments if you don't mind me asking?

I had to made one earlier this year, and I am curious about the ill effects it may have.

Any graduates out there with experience with this?

woopityduda wrote:What kind of amendments if you don't mind me asking?

I had to made one earlier this year, and I am curious about the ill effects it may have.

Any graduates out there with experience with this?

I found a couple of tickets I didn't disclose, a couple of unpaid tickets that I thought were paid, and I discovered that my car taxes were delinquent.

I am also interested in issues that people have had with amendments. Anyone?

Is it crazy to do like a background check on myself to make sure I get everything? Or hire a private investigator, if that's a thing still? I honestly can't recall every traffic ticket I've received in my life.

emarxnj wrote:Is it crazy to do like a background check on myself to make sure I get everything? Or hire a private investigator, if that's a thing still? I honestly can't recall every traffic ticket I've received in my life.

Nor could I, and I'm barred. Depending on the state, disclosing everything you can recall, backed by proper documentation, will suffice. If you know you have more than you can recall state that, too. Call up your specific state bar and see what they want you to do about forgotten tickets.

Bikeflip wrote:

emarxnj wrote:Is it crazy to do like a background check on myself to make sure I get everything? Or hire a private investigator, if that's a thing still? I honestly can't recall every traffic ticket I've received in my life.

Nor could I, and I'm barred. Depending on the state, disclosing everything you can recall, backed by proper documentation, will suffice. If you know you have more than you can recall state that, too. Call up your specific state bar and see what they want you to do about forgotten tickets.

Not going to lie, it is nice to see that you guys are stressed about it, too. It lets me know that I wasn't crazy for going crazy myself. I gave a general disclosure line in my bar app that said that I went through great detail to find everything that I did and that I wasn't attempting to hide anything else. I think this, plus disclosing everything you possibly can, will go a long way. I still would do as much as possible to find things.

Bikeflip wrote:

emarxnj wrote:Is it crazy to do like a background check on myself to make sure I get everything? Or hire a private investigator, if that's a thing still? I honestly can't recall every traffic ticket I've received in my life.

Nor could I, and I'm barred. Depending on the state, disclosing everything you can recall, backed by proper documentation, will suffice. If you know you have more than you can recall state that, too. Call up your specific state bar and see what they want you to do about forgotten tickets.

Yeah I did a ton of legwork finding everything I could. Some of the courts had moved and were absolutely useless as far as getting any records. If something comes up I don't think it's going to look like a cover-up attempt, just a forgotten speeding ticket.

emarxnj wrote:

Bikeflip wrote:

emarxnj wrote:Is it crazy to do like a background check on myself to make sure I get everything? Or hire a private investigator, if that's a thing still? I honestly can't recall every traffic ticket I've received in my life.

Nor could I, and I'm barred. Depending on the state, disclosing everything you can recall, backed by proper documentation, will suffice. If you know you have more than you can recall state that, too. Call up your specific state bar and see what they want you to do about forgotten tickets.

Yeah I did a ton of legwork finding everything I could. Some of the courts had moved and were absolutely useless as far as getting any records. If something comes up I don't think it's going to look like a cover-up attempt, just a forgotten speeding ticket.

Yeah the C&F people in my state appeared to be sympathetic to the process. They know it's a hassle to find piddly shit.

Chiming in to say C&F sucks. I've already amended my bar app a few times because of remembering things from ten years ago in college that I had forgotten when I submitted. I keep telling myself this: it's always better if they hear it from you before they inquire, and the very fact that you worry means you've got good character.

Just put the traffic tix you remember and note that one might have slipped through. Nobody really gives a shit about speeding.

DF- you made my night. I've been tripping for like two weeks because I think I forgot a speeding ticket on my LS application and I've had dreams of being drawn and quartered before being able to sit for the bar.

.

Jessuf wrote:Wow, your LS app asked about speeding tickets?

My state didn't even ask about speeding tickets for C&F.

In Illinois, they asked about parking tickets....it was a bit ridiculous. I was told that if I did not pay outstanding parking tickets, I couldn't take the bar exam.

Be honest. Their concern is making sure clients are protected. Talk to your school's C&F person, and if you have a serious issue consider getting counsel. But for the most part they don't care about things that don't affect clients so long as you're honest about them, own up, haven't shown brazen disregard for the law, and have kept your nose clean in law school. The further in the past your bad act is, the better.

The biggest things lawyers get in trouble for, IIRC, are stealing from clients and substance abuse that hurts clients. The biggest thing law students get in trouble for is probably failure to disclose. So if you have a history of alcohol-related crimes or were ever arrested for stealing from a till, those will be major issues for C&F. But if you had a parking ticket when you were nineteen, nobody will care provided you disclose it.

Alcohol and substance abuse can be a concern, and there are some states that have reputations for being more harsh than any other state considers reasonable--so if you're applying in Virginia or Texas, for example, and you have a history, I'd be more likely to consult counsel or at least someone familiar with C&F in those jurisdictions.

Mine took 14 months. Was married and divorced and various work history, but nothing exciting to report. At every turn they told me it was resolved and that was that. Then I would get another phone call or another letter and it just went on and on. Like they thought they caught me on a name use non-reporting related to my current husband, and then some weird date discrepancy they caught. Makes you wonder what kind of a sad job that is that they have.

AMCD wrote:Mine took 14 months. Was married and divorced and various work history, but nothing exciting to report. At every turn they told me it was resolved and that was that. Then I would get another phone call or another letter and it just went on and on. Like they thought they caught me on a name use non-reporting related to my current husband, and then some weird date discrepancy they caught. Makes you wonder what kind of a sad job that is that they have.

were you allowed to practice during that time?

I failed by three points, so it wasn't an issue! Retaking next week. But no, you can't practice without passing. Have a friend who passed the CA Bar but still has not been deemed suitable, due to a big DUI incident while in law school!

This might make some of you guys feel a bit better. I had a citation from my undergrad for drinking in the dorms (paid a fine and was on housing probation for a semester). I disclosed to all the schools who asked for any nonacademic discipline, since many only asked for cheating related school sanctions.

When it comes time for the C&F, lo and behold (or so I think) it only asks about academic discipline. I check no and go on my merry way. I know the default is disclose, but my policy has always been to just answer the question truthfully rather than throw everything in out of paranoia/over-analyzing the question. As it turns out, the question actually asked for this kind of non academic discipline. Stupid me. In my defense, the question itself was a paragraph long and started with the first lines bolded saying something about academic disipline. Buried in there was a catch all "or any other scholastic discipline" clause.

Anyway, I didn't know about my mistake until a person from the Bar called to tell me about it. I promptly made an addendum (making sure to include the disclosure I made to my school to show I hadn't tried to hide it in the past). Nothing else ever came of it -- no follow up, no questions, nada.

Hope my story makes people rest a bit easier.