In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
Accepted students who reveal on their admission application any criminal conduct issues of concern can take proactive steps to address the issue by contacting the appropriate persons. Many jurisdictions will review a provisional application for admission to the bar. Information on character and fitness standards for various jurisdictions is available at the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ website: ncbex.org. Students are encouraged to meet with the Assistant Dean for Academic and Bar Success or the Associate Dean of Students and to contact the bar in that state(s) to determine its character and fitness and bar admission requirements.
When responding to the character and fitness questions below, you must:
In accordance with the application for admission to any Bar, you must provide a complete record of all instances in which you have been arrested or taken into custody or accused, formally or informally, of the violation of a law, including:
If you answer “yes” to any of the following Character and Fitness questions, you must attach a detailed explanation for each of those questions providing dates, locations, charges, disposition, and any sanctions imposed. Including a copy of your driving record or criminal record without providing a detailed explanation is not sufficient. The explanation(s) must be submitted electronically as an attachment(s) under the “Attachments” section of your application.
Because of the high ethical standards to which lawyers are held, the failure to disclose an act or event such as the ones described below is often more significant and leads to more serious consequences than the act or event itself. If you have questions about whether an incident or charge should be disclosed, err on the side of full disclosure.
You have an ongoing duty to inform the Office of Admission of any changes in the information in this application and to the Character and Fitness questions to include any new information. That duty begins at the point of submission of the application and continues throughout the entirety of your law school career. Failure to provide truthful answers or failure to inform the Office of Admission of any changes or updates to your answers may result in revocation of admission, disciplinary action by the School of Law, rescission of your law degree, and/or not being allowed to take the Bar Exam.
In no event, however, will the Charleston School of Law admit applicants who do not appear capable of satisfactorily completing its educational program and being admitted to the bar.