Thread: Florida character and fitness - WARNING

Has anyone had the same problem I am having? Basically I gave them some wrong info that happened about 10 years ago.. and after 2 years, I am still not admitted!!!! Did this happen you you?? If you did, how did you deal with it to get it resolved? BTW, for those of you who have not yet submitted your character and fitness, please dig out all the info or go out of your way to find out all the stuff you forgot. Because they Florida bar examiners Character and Fitness committee will not let it go. They will haunt you for the rest of your lives!!!!

Yes, FL's character and fitness has TERRIBLE reputation

I heard that people didn't get admitted b/c of credit card debt, DUI from pre-college years, omitted minor fines, bad military records, and more. With that said, if you have a horrible record, many people just choose other states to practice. Also, a good post that from JDunder that may help you is posted below.

My personal advice is that DISCLOSE everything you know and find out ALL INFO that you are not sure of. Unless you have amnesia, you prob. know what actually happened or where to find them

"FL's character and fitness process can be a *****, but I have NEVER heard of anyone being denied admission based solely on the fact that they got a DUI or had "excessive credit card debt." I find such claims highly dubious. An undisclosed violation, however, WILL keep you from gaining admittance, as will "excessive credit card debt" that becomes "bad debt," i.e., you didn't take steps to repay, or at least settle, the debt, and it was written off and went to collections. If you have a substance abuse arrest, you also have to show that you have been "rehabilitated," through an organization like FL Lawyer's Assistance. FL BOBA expressly tells you on their Web site that it isn't enough to merely have "obeyed the law" and not been arrested since your last conviction. You must be able to demonstrate that you have rehabbed yourself and contributed positively to society since the conviction (AA meetings, signing "contracts" with FL Lawyer's Assistance promising to stay clean, and volunteer work at substance abuse rehab centers are common methods employed). Rehabilitation, or more to the point, DEMONSTRATION of rehabilitation, is key, as is candor.

FL actually has a very high admittance rate for people who have character and fitness issues, but only those who are completely candid about them. The horror stories you hear are mostly from those who (perhaps innocently, but usually not) failed to disclose pertinent information. Hell, I had a friend at UF who was denied admittance based on the fact that he failed to disclose and all-F's transcript that he got at a community college IN MARYLAND one semester six years prior. If you omit anything, or try to "spin" the facts, they automatically assume that you are lying and they'll come down hard. Not knowing the OP, I will give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that his omissions were honest mistakes, but the FL BOBA doesn't see it that way. In their eyes, an omission is a lie, period. They've heard every excuse in the book and they aren't buying any of them (pretty much the exact words used by the guy from FL BOBA at my school's orientation). He also suggested that students go out and hire investigators to to background checks on themselves. Heck, if you really want to get in, and you have issues, it might be money well spent.

Also, as you may know, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to gain admittance to the bar in another state after you have been denied in one state.

Personally, I think that EVERY state supreme court should require that the C&F test of that state's bar be passed BEFORE one can enter law school. This is how it is done for med school and many grad programs IIRC. That would save people a ton of expense, lost time, and woe when they struggle through 3 years of law school only to get dry ****ed by C&F at the very end.

To the OP, I believe you can reapply to FL after two years have lapsed."

Source: JDunderground and personal experience