Felony and applying to Law School Forum

[frank12345]

Thanks to anyone that can offer any advice or suggestions. I place the blame solely on myself for having a felony but am trying to move forward with my life. When I was 20 years old (now 24) I was convicted of an embarrassing felony that will be reduced to misdemeanor and considered dismissed in April of 2013. Probation is completed and I went to a rehab for alcohol abuse .I have a 3.5 gpa and a 168 lsat and wanted to know how badly will the felony hurt me during applications. I'm considering waiting for it to be officially dismissed next year and applying than but am anxious to get my career started. Thanks again for any help.

[Granfalloon12]

If convicted murderers can get into Tulane, the possibilities are endless to you! But yeah, it might hinder you but there's still open doors, apparently.

[luthersloan]

Depends on what kind of felony it was. Drugs or violence would probably be seen with a more forgiving eye than say, fraud or theft.

[SemperLegal]

Talk to a Character and Fitness Attorney. Report your findings in an addendum. Apply broadly. You are not the first or the worst w/ a felony.


+1 to previous post. If the felony is Embezzling or Perjury than you are in a lot worse shape than if it was a bar fight gone bad.

[TJISMYHERO]

Thanks to anyone that can offer any advice or suggestions. I place the blame solely on myself for having a felony but am trying to move forward with my life. When I was 20 years old (now 24) I was convicted of an embarrassing felony that will be reduced to misdemeanor and considered dismissed in April of 2013. Probation is completed and I went to a rehab for alcohol abuse .I have a 3.5 gpa and a 168 lsat and wanted to know how badly will the felony hurt me during applications. I'm considering waiting for it to be officially dismissed next year and applying than but am anxious to get my career started. Thanks again for any help.

If it is considered dismissed, then I would check your state law and find out if you are eligible for expungement. Most law schools require you disclose expunged offenses, but some don't. In addition to some schools not requiring you to disclose expunged offenses, several states don't require it either. I know Texas doesn't. If you are eligible for expungement and you wait to apply after you have it expunged, it may become a non-factor in some school/state arrangements.

I'm sure you already know this, but lying on an application is a very bad idea. Answer the question truthfully or C&F will likely bite you in the ass. Even if you have to disclose it, it likely won't auto-ding you at many schools. If you applied broadly and were comfortable with moving anywhere, then I think you would likely have a number of options. Definitely check out the bar websites for the states you would consider practicing in to see if you're auto-dinged at C&F because of a felony. (Most likely you're not, unless it is a crime of moral turpitude.)

After all this, you still have to worry about how you would find employment after graduating. If it's expunged you'll likely be able to find something (assuming you've gone to a good school and have at least decent grades). Some firms might still find it, but your options would be relatively wide open.

If you can't expunge, then it may limit your options. PD or DA's office and many other Gov't positions would be off the table. Most large firms perform background checks, so that would likely be an unpleasant experience--it might be possible, but it is highly unlikely you would be able to land Biglaw. I don't think small and midsize firms would be off the table though, at least not all of them.

Good luck.

[Archangel]

http://today.brown.edu/articles/2008/06/andres-idarraga

Today, Mr. Idarraga works for a V100.

http://www.bsfllp.com/lawyers/data/1838 ... tyle=print

[071816]

Don't worry about it. I got pinched for racketeering back in '96 and I'm living the law school dream.