Bar Admissions Blog

Q. By questioning an applicant's credit ratings or level of debt, aren't licensing boards creating a "means test" that discriminates against less affluent JDs?

Q. I'm really nervous. I'm scheduled for an interview before a member of the character committee. Is this common? Should I have a lawyer with me? How should I handle this?

Q. Before getting into AA, I had several DUIs and related offenses which I was too embarrassed to list on my law school application. But I've been sober for four years now. Will my alcoholism hurt me?

Q. On spring break of my freshman year in college, I got caught for underage drinking and was detained by campus police for several hours. Nothing really became of it and I can't find a record of this anywhere. Must I put it on my application?

Q. Rushing to get a paper done, I failed to attribute a one-sentence passage to its original author or to use quotation marks. Despite this innocent error, my law school reprimanded me for "plagiarism." Will this technicality preclude my admission?

Q. How far back do bar examiners go to investigate an applicant's character and fitness for admission to the practice of law?

Q. I've made many mistakes in my life, but I've worked hard to overcome the past. How can I prove that I'm not the same person anymore?

Q. I've accumulated several debts in the past few years. Must I pay them all off before they'll admit me to the bar?

Q. I got caught cheating on a law school exam, received a failing grade in the course and got reprimanded. How will this affect my admissions efforts?

Q. Released from juvie at 18, I graduated to felonies and 85 months for wire fraud. Turning to the other side of the law, I earned a criminal justice degree while incarcerated and applied to five law schools thereafter. I only got into one. Am I wasting time on a dream that won't materialize?

Q. To gain leverage in a contentious custody battle, my ex accused me of hitting him and our kids. Though he threatened to call the police, he didn't do so after settling the case. Must I disclose his frivolous accusations?

Q. After a suicide attempt as a college junior, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Thanks to medication and psychotherapy, I finished college, survived law school, and am doing much better. Must I disclose this on my bar application?

Q. I got a DUI in my first year of college. The judge dismissed this first offense after I finished probation. The charge was later expunged, so I didn't put it on my law school application. Since I got in, should I just keep quiet?

Q. Just last week, a traffic court judge joked that I've got enough points to win a NASCAR championship. Will my lead foot trip me up?

Q. After I finished my community service, the judge struck my shoplifting conviction, terminated my probation and expunged my record. Must I disclose it on my bar application?

Q. Is it really possible to overcome a checkered past when judges sit back on their bench, act "holier than thou," and look down on anyone with a questionable background?

Q. I've worked hard to overcome the past. But I amassed an extensive criminal record growing up on the mean streets of Baltimore. Should I even try for a legal career?

Q. After a wild frat party in college, I got arrested for disorderly conduct. The charge was ultimately dismissed, so I didn't think I needed to list it on my law school application. Will this be a problem now?

Q. As a freshman, my college placed me on probation for smoking marijuana in my dorm and, after a second offense, suspended me for the fall semester of my sophomore year. I then buckled down, graduated with honors and excelled in law school. Am I fit to admit?

Q. When my business failed, I fled to law school while leaving unhappy creditors and a mess of unpaid bills behind. Now I owe an extra $60,000 in student loans. Do credit scores count?