hello lawschoolers... i have a question regarding plagiarism

[gogolaw]

hi
i am currently at UG and almost done with LS apps.
i have a plagiarism record back in my freshman yr.
i shared daily hw, which was very small, with my suitmate and we got caught. we both received zero on the assignment and it was reported to my school's judicial office. my final grade in the course was okay though. i just went to the judicial office today and they told me since it was nothing too serious, they would get rid of my file after 2years from now. the record is not on my transcripts or recommendations... its not on anywhere i am sending to law schools. Should I disclose this?
If i have to, will it hurt me big time? anyone who had a plagiarism record during college? thanx!

[Jumboshrimps]

You need to disclose this. More important, though, is that you undertand that lawyers don't tollerate *&^% like this. If you understand that, then here's the deal:

You need a letter from your UG dean saying how small of a deal it was and how sorry you are about it. They, you need a separate personal statement painting a picture of how much you learned from your egregious mistake and how you've dedicated yourself to honesty and feeding little honest orphans in Third Work countries. Then, MAYBE you'll get into law school. Then, MAYBE you'll be admitted to some state's bar.

In all honesty, you'd have a better shot at this if you'd merely killed someone.

[jimmyjohn]

Want to know how serious the honor code is at my school? We have a full page of rules about what we can discuss concerning the memos. We can discuss the cases with classmates BUT we cannot discuss legal conclusions or argument strategies. If you even observe someone violating this rule, you are OBLIGATED to turn them into admin. If you don't, you are just as guilty and will be just as expelled.

How can you discuss a case without discussing legal conclusions to some extent?

[Skeptic]

Hi,

I just recently wrote a memo about this. the severity of your misconduct depends on the state you want to practice law.  With that said, if you do not disclose this information on your law school or moral character application, the bar will probably have deny your application on the basis of your omission.  Therefore do not forget to disclose it.

Just like the other posters stated, you need to show that you have rehabilitated from this misconduct.  Obtain a letter from your dean regarding your plagiarism if you can.  Letters from attorney's (once you start interning) are REALLY helpful for state bar purposes.  But the bright side is, I have yet not found a case where an applicant was denied to practice law on the basis of plagiarism alone.  There are cases, such as In Re Valencia in Iwoa (i think) where the applicant was denied because he ommitted his plagiarism conduct on his application to the bar.  So it is very important on how you act from now on.

You should be as long as you are honest

[Strong]

While the severity of plagiarism in the eyes of law schools and especially state bars should not be understated, I think you will be fine. It was your freshman year. It would be much worse to try to omit or cover it up. An official from our state Bar told us that it is much more common to deny someone admission who left out or covered up unfavorable information than to outright deny someone because of their past history.

Follow the advice of the above posters and it will work out, try to slip one by and you will pay for it someday.

[courselines]

From someone who got into a but of trouble let me tell you: Do not kill yourself over it. The people on the administration boards are just that....people... and they will overlook these things if you have a strong record of dedication to the community. (and a high LSAT grade )

[Aaron12900]

Look, you should disclose it. Unlike what some are incinuating here, it has nothing to do with you being an evil person, but it simply could kill you on the bar. If you handle this correctly -discuss it so you don't put your foot in your mouth- you should be fine. And to certain posters - someone who makes a minor bad judgment years ago, owes up to it now is not worthy of all the crap people like to throw safely behind their computers while forgeting all the sh*t that they have done(not just on this post but so many I see).

[jeffrey]

NO WAY DUDE!
THERE IS NO FREAKIN WAY..THAT SOMEONE FROM ADMISSIONS IS GOING TO RESEARCH YOU, AND FIND OUT THAT YOU PLAGERIZED FRESH.YEAR. IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSES, THEY HAVE LIKE UM HUM,1000'S OF APPLICANTS,
"is that you undertand that lawyers don't tollerate *&^% like this"
NO, LAWYERS DON'T PUT UP WITH *&^% THAT IS USELESS AND TIME-CONSUMING, (I.G)LIKE LOOKING UP THA TYPE OF STUFF...LETS BE REAL!

[thegreat]

I agree, unless there is a readily traceable paper trail for the misdeed, it would seem you are shooting yourself in the foot.

[Aaron12900]

the problem is the bar gets access to all kinds of documents - the law school itself will probably never find out - but the bar might notice that you didn't tell the law school. Hell, the best advice would probably be to call an admissions con. at a school you don't want to attend anyway, explain all the relevant facts (other then the thought of hiding it of course) and ask what your chances are, and whether they would overlook the infraction.