big problem need help Forum

[$cumdogmillionaire]

I have decent numbers(166/3.5) but because of my C&F situation, ive been denied admission to all but one school and have been offered AAMPLE at one of my safety schools. I havent been accepted but have been placed on the waiting list at the one school where I wasnt rejected, it is in the top 30. The dean of admissions at this school wants to meet with me personally. When I meet with him should I tell him that I was rejected at all the other schools or is that a mistake. This school was my top choice initially. ANy advice please?

[MrAnon]

Even if a school admits you, the other schools are rejecting you most likely because they think you won't be admitted to practice I would guess. So if a school does decides to admit you should be careful about why. Do you bring something to the table they desperately need? URM status? High GPA or LSAT? They will admit you for these things, but they do not necessarily have your long term interest in mind (i.e. whether you are eligible for admission). They may very well admit you to school knowing you will never be admitted to practice. Hence, you need to investigate on your own, without their advice, whether you can be admitted to practice, before you set off to law school.

Sitting down and convincing a dean you should be admitted to the school is great, but you are wasting your time, the next 3 years, and a whole lot of money if you never ask your state C&F committee the odds of your admission, and find out after 3 years that you are ineligible. The deans and the schools won't be able to tell you. They can merely guess.

[$cumdogmillionaire]

Even if a school admits you, the other schools are rejecting you most likely because they think you won't be admitted to practice I would guess. So if a school does decides to admit you should be careful about why. Do you bring something to the table they desperately need? URM status? High GPA or LSAT? They will admit you for these things, but they do not necessarily have your long term interest in mind (i.e. whether you are eligible for admission). They may very well admit you to school knowing you will never be admitted to practice. Hence, you need to investigate on your own, without their advice, whether you can be admitted to practice, before you set off to law school.

Sitting down and convincing a dean you should be admitted to the school is great, but you are wasting your time, the next 3 years, and a whole lot of money if you never ask your state C&F committee the odds of your admission, and find out after 3 years that you are ineligible.

I have asked the state board where i intend to practice and the chairman said he couldnt give me an answer and that they take it on a case by case basis but that i am not excluded, and contrary to what you may think, the schools at which i was rejected are lower than the one school that i have to meet with the dean, i was rejected at schools with medians in the low 150's

[moneybagsphd]

RETAKE.

[BarcaCrossesTheAlps]

Just curious...what is your C&F situation? No details are necessary, but is it felony or misdemeanor?

I have seen people with multiple misdemeanors get into law school and made bar eligible.

[MrAnon]

Even if a school admits you, the other schools are rejecting you most likely because they think you won't be admitted to practice I would guess. So if a school does decides to admit you should be careful about why. Do you bring something to the table they desperately need? URM status? High GPA or LSAT? They will admit you for these things, but they do not necessarily have your long term interest in mind (i.e. whether you are eligible for admission). They may very well admit you to school knowing you will never be admitted to practice. Hence, you need to investigate on your own, without their advice, whether you can be admitted to practice, before you set off to law school.

Sitting down and convincing a dean you should be admitted to the school is great, but you are wasting your time, the next 3 years, and a whole lot of money if you never ask your state C&F committee the odds of your admission, and find out after 3 years that you are ineligible.

I have asked the state board where i intend to practice and the chairman said he couldnt give me an answer and that they take it on a case by case basis but that i am not excluded, and contrary to what you may think, the schools at which i was rejected are lower than the one school that i have to meet with the dean, i was rejected at schools with medians in the low 150's

If it is unclear that you would be admitted to the bar, why would you go to law school?

Would you attend medical school if you couldn't be a doctor?
Dental school if you couldn't be a dentist?

[BarcaCrossesTheAlps]

....if it is a felony involving violence or finances... forget about it. However, any line of work will be difficult to pursue it this is the case. Maybe construction?

[freakingout-here]

What state would you be planning to practice in?

California has plenty of felons who have been admitted to the bar - even those convicted of violent or financial crimes. West Virginia has a pretty lax policy and will put a felon who has shown significant rehabilitation on a year to year probationary status. Virginia will admit convicted felons who have had their civil rights restored by the Governor -- in fact there is an attorney in VA who is also a sitting legislator. I also know of a felon licensed in Minnesota. I know Texas will absolutely bar felons, but if you can show rehabilitation then you can get licensed, somewhere, with a healthy dose of persistence and perseverance. My point is don't listen to people who have no idea what you've gone through if they are telling you to forget about your dream. If you want to be an attorney then go to the interview, get into law school, do exceptionally well, and start making your case NOW for rehabilitation when you sit for your C&F interview in 3 years.

[HeadToWall]

Everyone seems to be volunteering unsolicited advice, but I will try to restrict mine to the question at hand. In your place I would not volunteer the fact that I haven't been accepted to other schools, but give accurate statements such as the fact that the school in question is your top choice. If the dean specifically asks what your options are, then be honest, the last thing you want to happen is to have a record of dishonesty added to your C&F troubles.

[bobbyh1919]

Don't tell him unless he asks. More importantly, however, you need to find out if these C&F issues are going to keep you from practicing law. I think that's surely worth finding out before you proceed any further.

[spleenworship]

Everyone seems to be volunteering unsolicited advice, but I will try to restrict mine to the question at hand. In your place I would not volunteer the fact that I haven't been accepted to other schools, but give accurate statements such as the fact that the school in question is your top choice. If the dean specifically asks what your options are, then be honest, the last thing you want to happen is to have a record of dishonesty added to your C&F troubles.

+1

[Gail]

OP, I said yes.

I did this on the chance that law school deans will be among the most familiar with what to expect from C&F. If your chances really are that low, he'll know and even if they admit you for selfish reasons, you'll have an idea of what he's thinking in the interview. I don't know what your chances are without knowledge of your situation, but he might.


I'm sorry that you're going through this and that your past is an obstacle for you. I hope it works out and you have a long and fulfilling career, legal or not.

[iowalum]

I wouldn't tell them unless you are asked - I'm assuming you already disclosed this issue to them in your app (you should have if you didn't) so they already know the problem and can make their own judgements about you without knowing what other schools decided. But DEFINITELY don't lie if asked.

[vincevega]

$cumdogmillionaire,

I voted yes, I would tell them. I would definitely not be less than 100% forthcoming on anything related to prior convictions. I am going through something similar myself where I have a past felony conviction to explain. My experience is that unless you committed and were convicted of an especially heinous crime that some school especially with your numbers will work with you. My numbers are not as good as yours and some schools are willing to work with me. If you want to ask me anything further PM me and I will be glad to discuss it.

It is not impossible, here is a link of someone who has been to prison and is now a lawyer in DC. Just don't give up no matter what anyone says. You will have plenty of naysayers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoK6aJ8ewhQ

Best of luck to you.

[shastaca]

If asked answer truthfully--though I would try to think of a way to make it sound less awful than it does.

I would not offer the information other than asked. It has nothing to do with their decision and is not their business unless they are weighing what scholarship to give you.

I would not expect to be asked, unless it is the form of the question about how you would weight their acceptance offer against those you currently hold. Then answer truthfully that they were your preference going in and so far nothing has changed that.

[danielhay11]

I voted no, with the obvious caveat to be honest if asked directly.

I think the message you need to get across is, not that it's your only option, but that it's your top choice. By telling him everywhere else has rejected you, it might make you seem desperate and pressing on in spite of the serious challenge posed by your C&F issue. Honestly, if I was an Ad Dean and had an applicant who (a) had a potentially disqualifying C&F issue and (b) had been rejected everywhere, I'd be thinking, "Can't this guy take a hint?"

I think you'd be better off putting it in a more positive light - that it's your dream school, that it was your top choice from the beginning, that you'd definitely attend if accepted, etc. Make it clear that you understand the consequences of your past and that you've taken positive steps towards making yourself a qualified applicant for the bar (talking with the bar association, community service, counseling, etc).

[vincevega]

just edited prior post with interesting link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoK6aJ8ewhQ