Illinois Character and Fitness

[Matthies]

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...

If it was me, I would hire a lawyer at this point. I seem to remember someone at our school at some presentation said if they send you a letter then next step is calling you in, and if they call you in then you should have counsel. If it was me I would find a lawyer who has disciplinary experience and ask for a consultation. My gut says not a big deal, but my brain says cross every t and dot every I before you proceed. So if I was in this situation I would at least call a lawyer and see what their advice would be just so I did not sweat it or so I did it right so it did not become a bigger issue.

[jacy85]

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...

If it was me, I would hire a lawyer at this point. I seem to remember someone at our school at some presentation said if they send you a letter then next step is calling you in, and if they call you in then you should have counsel. If it was me I would find a lawyer who has disciplinary experience and ask for a consultation. My gut says not a big deal, but my brain says cross every t and dot every I before you proceed. So if I was in this situation I would at least call a lawyer and see what their advice would be just so I did not sweat it or so I did it right so it did not become a bigger issue.

As usual, I agree with Matthies on this one.  May as well make sure you do everything possible to fix this asap, and the only one who can really advise you on that is an attorney who represents attorneys and bar applicants in C&F matters.

[brinkmtf]

you guys really think so? the letter from the bar instructed me to write a letter to the school explaining the incident (which I did, but which was also moot b/c I told them 2 years ago). then it asked me to write a letter back to the bar explaining my failure to disclose. I did all this, and my school sent a letter to the bar saying essentially that it was no big deal.

so I really need a lawyer?

[jacy85]

you guys really think so? the letter from the bar instructed me to write a letter to the school explaining the incident (which I did, but which was also moot b/c I told them 2 years ago). then it asked me to write a letter back to the bar explaining my failure to disclose. I did all this, and my school sent a letter to the bar saying essentially that it was no big deal.

so I really need a lawyer?

Well, on the basic facts you provided in your first post, you didn't say that you complied with any instructions given to you by the bar.  It might not be a big deal b/c you complied with those instructions and your school has said it's not a big deal for them. But you may want to check with the bar to see what usually happens in cases like this.  If the bar suggests that it may be an issue, then you may want to seek out some more professional advice.

[chi2009]

Slightly more serious offense - was charged with a city ordinance violation of shoplifting less than $20 (totally stupid, won't go into details).  It was 4 years ago and I disclosed everything on my law school app.  Will this prevent me from passing the C&F test??

[ryanjm]

lol at all the traffic offense worrying, and jaywalking. Are you serious? These are violations worthy of denying someone to practice law after they spent $100k+ on a law school education? That's a joke. The whole C&F process is a joke unless you have serious offenses that would cause someone to not put their trust in you with important matters. If you told a client you got caught jaywalking, do you think he would suddenly say "Oh, well I guess I can't trust you to handle this real estate contract?"  It's a ridiculous anal-retentive line of thinking.

In response to chi2009, that is a more serious offense imo because it goes to trustworthiness. Although you won't go into details, I'm thinking you probably will have to explain this if you get called in to interview for it. Still, if you got into law school, you'll likely get through the bar admissions process. It would be pretty cruel to admit someone to law school while knowing all the while that they'll be denied admittance to practice. I wouldn't worry about it much, but I'd expect to have to explain myself to an attorney, so just be ready for that.