Bar Admissions Blog
Caught in the Weed
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?
A. If applicants for admission to the bar had to prove a pristine history, we would suffer from a shortage of lawyers.
The test for bar admission is whether, at present, you possess the requisite moral character and fitness for the practice of law. If we admit you to the bar, will we place your future clients at risk?
For this reason, youthful indiscretions are easily forgiven so long as there is no indication that your old practices persist. Entering your junior year, your character flaws and lack of maturity were evident and your character would not likely have been deemed fit for bar admission.
But, since then, your clean record, combined with stellar academic achievement, show that you have grown beyond these indiscretions to merit admission to the bar. Just be certain to act accordingly in the future so that no one may question your moral character thereafter.
