Illinois Character and Fitness

[ngdo2007]

Hopefully people haven't procrastinated as much as I have on this.  Does anybody know what standards are used to deny people based on traffic violations?  I got a ticket a few years back for making a left turn on a no left turn sign (sign was in a strange area, as the officer admitted, and I didn't see it- promptly paid ticket) and was also stopped earlier this year for no city sticker and no front license plate.  I actually was unaware I needed either of those- again, complied and the tickets were thrown out when I went to traffic court and showed I complied.  I've heard stories of people getting admitted with dozens of outstanding tickets, so I shouldn't be worried- right?

[thorc954]

I wouldnt worry about tickets for minor offenses, i doubt tickets for pretty much anything (except possibly DUI) will prevent you from passing.  I know I have a few tickets and so do all of my friends, so dont stress it.  Call your career development office if you are really worried though.

[ngdo2007]

I wouldnt worry about tickets for minor offenses, i doubt tickets for pretty much anything (except possibly DUI) will prevent you from passing.  I know I have a few tickets and so do all of my friends, so dont stress it.  Call your career development office if you are really worried though.

Yeah I'm not super worried about it.  I only have one ticket that is unpaid, it was in 2000 and it was absolutely wrong- the meter maid came on to private property and ticketed about 20 cars.  I was told over the phone that the ticket was improper but that they would not release me, so I refused to pay.  They took it to collections, 8 years later I still haven't paid.  I pulled my credit report and there is nothing bad on it so I guess it was removed.  I still will report it to the bar people.  It was just the principle- no way I'm eating it for something that was clearly improper.  Hope it doesn't come back to bite me!

[slacker]

I wouldn't worry. Just admit whatever and, if they write asking for more info, give them more info. You may have the "you have to go before the committee" experience, but I'm not sure at what level that happens. I know of people with arrest records, another with a DUI during law school, and all passed char & fitness.

[wardwilliams]

Yeah, I mean can you imagine someone passing the bar exam and then being denied bar admission because of a traffic ticket? That would be slightly absurd

[ngdo2007]

It would be absurd, and yet I would not be shocked for someone with multiple DUIs to be allowed to sit and someone with two minor traffic violations (left turn where there was a no left turn sign and failure to display city sticker) to be denied- that's the way the game works.  It's going to be fun tracking down the "order of disposition" the bar requires- all I did was pay the ticket and it went away.

[mdd]

Don't sweat it -- people pass with garden variety DUIs all the time -- see question 48(?) of the C&F application, it's almost DUI-specific in asking "how many do you have?"  A DUI will get you a 10 minute meeting with an attorney on the C&F committee who lives in your area (there area a LOT on the committee -- hundreds).  Anything lower than a DUI is generally overlooked unless you have an egregious (read: three-digit) list of traffic violations.

[linquest]

It's going to be fun tracking down the "order of disposition" the bar requires- all I did was pay the ticket and it went away.

Reviving an old thread.  I got two tickets and a short license suspension (for failure to respond to a court summons I never received post-address change, rectified quickly) some years ago.  This was in a different state than where I've got my drivers license now.  The tickets/suspension are so old that they are not on my drivers record (abstract).  I don't have any paperwork now.  What am I supposed to send for "order of disposition"?

[Matthies]

It's going to be fun tracking down the "order of disposition" the bar requires- all I did was pay the ticket and it went away.

Reviving an old thread.  I got two tickets and a short license suspension (for failure to respond to a court summons I never received post-address change, rectified quickly) some years ago.  This was in a different state than where I've got my drivers license now.  The tickets/suspension are so old that they are not on my drivers record (abstract).  I don't have any paperwork now.  What am I supposed to send for "order of disposition"?

Tell them exactly what you just told us. I had some stuff like this, even a DUI from many years ago that shows up nowhere on my police or driving records. I just said something like “ I am very sure that 12 years ago I got a DUI in state X, I can’t find any records on it, the city, state courts  and police have no record of it, but its not one of those things you just forget, so I’m disclosing this incident even though I cannot provide you with any records that it actually occurred or was disposed of. All I can say is that according to this state nothing about this incident is on my record, thus it may have been expunged after I completed all the required classes (see enclosed driving record from state, courts summaries showing no cases in my name). Should you need anything else to help you with this issue please contact me, but every avenue I have taken (list steps taken) to get some record has come up with nothing listed.”

[brinkmtf]

So, I just got a letter from my state bar saying that I should have disclosed to my law school a jaywalking that I received after admission but before matriculation. I actually did disclose it to the law school eventually (when I realized that there was a $100 cutoff--the ticket was $128). I wondering how much a problem this is going to be...