2 DUIs Forum

[Waldo69]

Hey guys. I have had 2 DUIs. 1 in 2013 (I was 18) and 1 in 2016 (22). I was struggling with undiagnosed MDD along with alcoholism at the time. I am now sober and I have not yet received my bachelors degree. I currently have a 3.1 cgpa, but 61 of those credits are hard science classes. I am planning on changing my major from biology to psychology with a minor in political science with hopes to pursue law school. My lawyer really helped me out and emotionally as well as professionally throughout this whole process and it has really inspired me to become a lawyer so I can be there for others in their time of need. The science classes have brought my gpa down a lot, but I am certain I can raise this to a 3.4 and also perform exceptionally well on the lsat. I also have ~200 hours of volunteering at a youth community center, will be able to get great letters of recommendation, and many hours of work experience (not law related). Do I even have a chance with admissions/ state bar? Thank you all for the feedback.

[cuzzydunlop]

Write a strong addendum taking full responsibility and expressing total remorse, talking about overcoming alcoholism, how long you’ve been sober, what you’ve learned and how you plan to apply it in your life moving forward.

But worry about the LSAT first. It’s not as easy as you think. You’ll need to put in work.

[Waldo69]

Write a strong addendum taking full responsibility and expressing total remorse, talking about overcoming alcoholism, how long you’ve been sober, what you’ve learned and how you plan to apply it in your life moving forward.

But worry about the LSAT first. It’s not as easy as you think. You’ll need to put in work.

I know. It’s just the DUIs that I’m scared are going to hold me back right now. The stats aren’t my biggest worry as I have faith in my abilities to perform well for the rest of undergrad, as well as the lsat. Thanks for your reply.

[cuzzydunlop]

If you rock the LSAT, put some time between your indiscretions and your application, write a candid and repentive addendum showing you learned and have grown, most non-violent felony C&F issues are overcomable (is that a word?)

Overcoming alcoholism would also be a great PS topic

[CanadianWolf]

Yes, you have a chance of being admitted to law school,but you also have an obvious obstacle. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for some law students to drink in order to handle the pressures associated with the first year of law school--mostly in the form of growing pains due to the lack of certainty.

With respect to state bar character & fitness concerns, keeping sober throughout law school should offer convincing evidence of your continued sobriety. Might be wise to join & attend AA or other some other type of counseling since all state bars have active substance abuse programs due to the number of attorneys who engage in substance abuse resulting in actual or potential harm to their clients' interests.

The key is: How do you handle uncertainty ? The practice of law can be very frustrating so you need to develop a healthy coping mechanism.

P.S. As noted by an above poster, the LSAT can be a very sobering experience.

[cuzzydunlop]

It won't hold you back if you've demonstrated both remorse and growth. Joining AA and demonstrating that you've been an active participant could be a great way of doing that - as noted above. If your stats are there and your addendum evidences that you made some mistakes, regret it, and have learned and grown through the process, it's not going to be a major issue at all. The point of C&F questions and subsequent disclosures is to demonstrate that you are an honest and candid individual fit to practice law, not that you are a perfect person who has never done anything wrong before. We all make mistakes, the important part is accepting responsibility and actively doing something to address your mistakes.

I really think a PS about overcoming alcoholism would be a very strong PS, especially in the current environment where substance abuse is a big national topic. Most ad coms, like most people, probably have friends and family who have also struggled with substance abuse, and we all want to root for someone to overcome those problems.

[albanach]

I really think a PS about overcoming alcoholism would be a very strong PS, especially in the current environment where substance abuse is a big national topic. Most ad coms, like most people, probably have friends and family who have also struggled with substance abuse, and we all want to root for someone to overcome those problems.

I think this only works well if you've been sober for a while. If it's only six months, I'd be really cautious. Applying this year, you're at best looking at two years sober which might not be long enough for some readers to feel sure you're sufficiently detached from your past actions.

[cuzzydunlop]

That's a good point ^

I'd say to give yourself about 3-4 years of space between your last infraction and your app cycle. Get involved with AA or some program; even better if you can become some kind of mentor and feature that on your resume somewhere.

If you haven't taken the LSAT yet, you can study all year and take it multiple times later this year to get the highest score possible and then apply during the 2019 cycle.

[Waldo69]

That's a good point ^

I'd say to give yourself about 3-4 years of space between your last infraction and your app cycle. Get involved with AA or some program; even better if you can become some kind of mentor and feature that on your resume somewhere.

If you haven't taken the LSAT yet, you can study all year and take it multiple times later this year to get the highest score possible and then apply during the 2019 cycle.

Yeah I am still involved with a program in which I have to blow into a breathalyzer 4 set times a day (started this program the day after I was arrested for the second dui), I’m in AA, have done 2 separate substance abuse classes, and im in a workout program for substance abusers. I intend to apply in about 3 years after I can save some money cause all of this was very costly as you can imagine haha