Bar Admissions Blog

Helping Bar Applicants Prove Character and Fitness for Admission to the Bar

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?

Youthful Indiscretions

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?

Bad Credit

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?

When the Maryland Board of Law Examiners, DC Bar Committee on Admissions, or any character committee questions your character and fitness for bar admission, bar applicants should retain an attorney to assist in disclosing information relevant to character and fitness, to guide them through the bar admissions process, and to represent applicants in character committee hearings and in hearings before the Court of Appeals to determine whether they are fit to practice law. Character and fitness concerns may arise in connection with prior criminal convictions, academic dishonesty and honor code violations, addictions, drunk driving, neglected debts, and a failure to disclose material information on law school applications or on bar applications. If you have a history of misconduct, traffic citations, crimes, arrests and other facts to disclose in response to the character portion of the Maryland Bar Application or the DC Bar's NCBE application, you should strongly consider retaining bar admissions counsel if you want to avoid denial of a law license and get a license to practice law. This is even true for applicants for admission to law schools as these applications ask similar questions about character. A failure to disclose facts material to your admission could result in a denial of bar admission.

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By The Lawyer's Lawyers | Kramer & Connolly and  who are responsible for the content of this informational website.