Criminal Arrests in Character & Fitness Section of Law School Applications

[GowicCuhy]

I didn't find anything about past convictions/guilty pleas/criminal offenses etc in the law school forum search or the pre-law school and lsat forum. I am currently applying to law schools and in the character and fitness sections, some ask if you have been involved in the aforementioned.

My question is then: how does this affect your chances of being admitted to law school? When I just turned 18, I was caught attempting to take objects from a store worth less than 30 dollars without paying for them. I plead guilty and was fined $200.00. The case was taken under advisement and later dismissed after I was not charged with any other offenses within six months. How will this affect my chances of getting into a law school? Though I have been adding this information to my law school applications thus far, does anyone suggest omitting it since I was never convicted nor formally arrested? As I said though, I did plead guilty...

Have most of you gotten into law school or are you in my situation, currently applying to law schools?

Thanks in advance...

[pseurgygexy]

If you did plead guilty, then if follows that you were convicted.....

To answer your question as to whether this should be added to or ommitted from your application, I would say keep it in. Honesty is the best policy. Some would argue that it might affect your admission chances, though most would disagree.

If you exclude the information it is likely that the law school might never know, but if they did find out, you could be kicked out. The biggest problem, however, would occur after law school when you apply to sit for the bar exam. The state bar will go over your record with fine tooth comb running a "character and fitness" test to practice law in said state. Although they would overlook your past crime, they would not overlook the fact that you lied about it on your law school application.

[ckkpssskk]

There is no question about it!

If you plan on attending law school, or more importantly sitting down for the MBE (Multi-State Bar Examination) aka the LAW BAR EXAM then you must practice in effect disclosure!

If you left it out then you may be subject to denial of admittance upwads to revocation of your law degree, (I have heard of this occuring) or even after your JD and you are working your Boss comes up to you and says after a careful backround check you're FIRED! Trust me you were good in keeping that part in.

Therefore a simple axim for your dilema: if in doubt don't leave it out! Trust me the penalty for not disclosing (even if you didn't need to) is far worse then leaving it 'cause you're not sure (PLUS you were CONVICTED ... leave it in).

GOOD LUCK!

So to reiterate:

YOU MUST NOT OMIT THAT INFORMATION!!!

YOU SHOULD STILL HAVE A FAIR CHANCE AT BEING ACCEPTED, BUT IF YOU DO NOT MAKE NOTICE OF THE INCIDENT, YOU WILL NEVER BE ADMITTED BECAUSE YOU WILL BE SEEN AS DECEITFUL BY THE LAW SCHOOL(S) AT WHICH YOU APPLY.

[janrenalds]

it just being no material in respect of his character,..

[adamina]

I have previously taken a criminal law exam and failed but I got distincts in Tort and Civil litigation and Land law. Just do not understand where I'm going with this subject because I enjoy crime and understand it better.denver drug possession attorney