DUI and admission to T14 Forum

SFrost · Post by **SFrost** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:11 am

I'm not aware of any comprehensive, publically available statistics on the matter. I do personally know someone who was accepted to a top school with a DUI.

I think a DUI is a strong indicator of poor decision making and immaturity. As you said time elapsed and a compelling post-DUI narrative are probably important.

You mentioned fatal accidents. The outcome of the crime matters a lot. A DUI with no victim is probably not a big deal. If you cost some parent their son or daughter, that's much bigger. Same act on your part but outcome counts. I would personally be very skeptical of admitting someone who killed a person, but I'm not a LS adcomm.

janetdoe · Post by **janetdoe** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:47 am

anonygate wrote:i'm wondering about DUIs and the highest ranked law schools. have you or anyone you have known personally been admitted to HYS/any of the rest of t14 with a DUI, or is it a fool's errand to even try for admission to a high caliber law school with one on your record?

Look, UW took Shon Hopwood and gave him a full-ride Gates Scholarship. He served 10 years in federal prison for robbing banks. He is very intelligent, and I believe may have gotten a Federal Judicial Clerkship. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken. I think if you are a strong writer, have a compelling story, and decent numbers, then by all means, apply wherever. There's hope

Clyde Frog · Post by **Clyde Frog** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:26 pm

anonygate wrote:very sorry if this has been answered already. if it has, please link me. i'm wondering about DUIs and the highest ranked law schools. have you or anyone you have known personally been admitted to HYS/any of the rest of t14 with a DUI, or is it a fool's errand to even try for admission to a high caliber law school with one on your record? yes, i know the time that has elapsed between it and your application to law school matters, but generally speaking...? especially with recent stories about drunk drivers and fatal accidents, this seems a big issue

Make sure you let them know how you learned from it. If there was a fatal accident involved it would be beneficial to you if you've taken a stance against drunk driving (started an organization, public speaking). Everyone makes mistakes, what matters is if you've shown that you've learned from it.

Clyde Frog · Post by **Clyde Frog** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:28 pm

janetdoe wrote:
anonygate wrote:i'm wondering about DUIs and the highest ranked law schools. have you or anyone you have known personally been admitted to HYS/any of the rest of t14 with a DUI, or is it a fool's errand to even try for admission to a high caliber law school with one on your record?
Look, UW took Shon Hopwood and gave him a full-ride Gates Scholarship. He served 10 years in federal prison for robbing banks. He is very intelligent, and I believe may have gotten a Federal Judicial Clerkship. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken. I think if you are a strong writer, have a compelling story, and decent numbers, then by all means, apply wherever. There's hope

Amazing story on this guy. Thanks for posting.

McAvoy · Post by **McAvoy** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:30 pm

Clyde Frog wrote:
janetdoe wrote:
anonygate wrote:i'm wondering about DUIs and the highest ranked law schools. have you or anyone you have known personally been admitted to HYS/any of the rest of t14 with a DUI, or is it a fool's errand to even try for admission to a high caliber law school with one on your record?
Look, UW took Shon Hopwood and gave him a full-ride Gates Scholarship. He served 10 years in federal prison for robbing banks. He is very intelligent, and I believe may have gotten a Federal Judicial Clerkship. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken. I think if you are a strong writer, have a compelling story, and decent numbers, then by all means, apply wherever. There's hope
Amazing story on this guy. Thanks for posting.

Trust me, yo, when the going gets tough, you don't want a criminal lawyer. You want a *criminal* lawyer.

CoffeeIsLife · Post by **CoffeeIsLife** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:38 pm

Will_McAvoy wrote:
Clyde Frog wrote:
janetdoe wrote:
anonygate wrote:i'm wondering about DUIs and the highest ranked law schools. have you or anyone you have known personally been admitted to HYS/any of the rest of t14 with a DUI, or is it a fool's errand to even try for admission to a high caliber law school with one on your record?
Look, UW took Shon Hopwood and gave him a full-ride Gates Scholarship. He served 10 years in federal prison for robbing banks. He is very intelligent, and I believe may have gotten a Federal Judicial Clerkship. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken. I think if you are a strong writer, have a compelling story, and decent numbers, then by all means, apply wherever. There's hope
Amazing story on this guy. Thanks for posting.
Trust me, yo, when the going gets tough, you don't want a criminal lawyer. You want a *criminal* lawyer.

+1 for the Breaking Bad reference

lecsa · Post by **lecsa** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:40 pm

Clyde Frog · Post by **Clyde Frog** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:02 pm

He bar will mainly look for how much time has passed since the offense, evidence of rehabilitation, social contributions since the offense and openness about the offense (how you learned from it and were a better person because of it). They may also conditionally admit someone as long as they follow requirements, such as continued treatment, and/or counseling for a period of time.

Clyde Frog · Post by **Clyde Frog** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:09 pm

http://nypost.com/2012/03/21/crook-demoted-to-lawyer/

This guy spent 6 years in prison for attempted murder and running an illegal drug enterprise. Was admitted to the bar in New York, although it took 10 years.

janetdoe · Post by **janetdoe** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 3:24 am

Clyde Frog wrote:
janetdoe wrote:
anonygate wrote:i'm wondering about DUIs and the highest ranked law schools. have you or anyone you have known personally been admitted to HYS/any of the rest of t14 with a DUI, or is it a fool's errand to even try for admission to a high caliber law school with one on your record?
Look, UW took Shon Hopwood and gave him a full-ride Gates Scholarship. He served 10 years in federal prison for robbing banks. He is very intelligent, and I believe may have gotten a Federal Judicial Clerkship. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken. I think if you are a strong writer, have a compelling story, and decent numbers, then by all means, apply wherever. There's hope
Amazing story on this guy. Thanks for posting.

No problem

It's always great to see a success story/people turning their lives around for the better. I just read that story you posted, and it was really nice, too. I am really glad he was able to practice in NY, as he always wanted.

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