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Facing felony charges...should I even bother with law school?
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Date: January 30th, 2010 11:56 PM
So basically I was really irresponsible and sold prescription drugs to make money for a while. In April 2009 the cops were called to a house I was hanging out at for some reason or another and I was busted with about 300 Xanax and Suboxone. I'm facing two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Because of the circumstances of my case, my attorney is fairly confident it will be dropped. The officers simply did not have probable cause to enter the house and arrest me, and so the evidence will most likely be suppressed.
What I'd like to know is how this impacts my chances of success in the legal field. Even if the charges are dismissed and the arrest expunged, obviously I will have to disclose this in the C & F process. While I'm not too worried about being denied admission to the bar, I wonder if I'll ever have a shot at having a successful career. I'm sure firms are swamped with applications without the stain of felony charges...
I'm currently in undergrad, majoring in economics. My goal is to do biglaw for a few years to pay off loans, then possibly become a prosecutor (ironic, isn't it?). If I get really high grades and LSAT, go to a top school and am in the very top of the class, is it possible that my tainted past will be overlooked? I really hate the idea of being judged for the rest of my life for something I did when I was only 20 years old. I mean, it's not like I raped or killed anyone... |
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Date: January 30th, 2010 11:58 PM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 10:47 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 12:01 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 12:26 AM |
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Date: February 5th, 2010 11:34 PM |
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Date: February 7th, 2010 10:53 PM
A state supreme court--the body that regulates lawyers--may or may not admit you. If you're convicted, I hope to god that it doesn't. A felony conviction is grounds for disbarment.
But....if you manage to get admitted, criminal defense is the field for you. You'll have street cred, especially w/pill pushers. |
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Date: February 8th, 2010 1:18 PM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 12:35 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 12:37 AM
You're not going to put an arrest on your fucking resume. |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:03 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:08 AM
flame or stupidity? what employer would give a fuck about arrests without convictions? people are falsely arrested all the fucking time. |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:13 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:17 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:24 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:34 PM |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 10:23 AM |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 11:36 AM
You don't understand how life in America works. It happens literally every day. I'm a white guy who grew up in government subsidized housing as a kid. Trust me, it happens. If you are poor in this country, you get railroaded with no recourse. |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 1:07 PM |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 1:46 PM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:11 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:04 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:36 PM |
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Date: February 5th, 2010 11:26 PM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:06 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 10:22 AM
I don't think private employers have access to police reports and arrests. I think they only have access to public court records (only convictions). Not 100% sure about this, so do more research and get back to us. |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 11:26 AM |
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Date: February 5th, 2010 11:16 PM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 10:45 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 11:21 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 11:23 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 11:27 AM
PC to check his pockets is much easier, and once they found the drugs on him, they had every reason to arrest him |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:28 PM
Furthermore, in court, the arresting officer testified that he only "called out to talk to me" before I closed the door. He didn't say "Freeze!" or "Halt!" or anything to indicate he was conducting a valid Terry stop. Therefore, this was a voluntary first-level encounter with the police and I was well within my rights to refuse. The police had no business opening the door and running in after me.
Furthermore, they arrested me for "obstruction" and used that as the pretext to search me. What grounds did they have to arrest me? That I didn't want to talk to them? |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 11:40 AM |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 12:59 PM
And why does everything think I'm making this up? |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 11:34 AM
On the slim chance I am wrong I offer the following.
Oh and this is not legal advice, if you want legal advice go to a lawyer. The best I can give you is some religious council. :)
But I think your fine. Just pray about it, and God should tell you if he wants you to go to law school. :-) And don't be this stupid again! Committing Felonies in no way ever is in your best interest! This is not Oceans 11! Most people get caught and do go to jail. You got really lucky these "foolish" cops messed up. Now don't jeopardize your future and make something of yourself! Whether that's practicing law or some other field, that's between you and God.
Oh and stop selling drugs!! What where you thinking???
Oh and if you don't get right with God your just going to end doing something else unethical someday and get disbarred. You have a history of breaking the law, that's nearly impossible to stop without some serious divine intervention. I recommend you start by reading the Gospels, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus is the only one that change your heart man. :-) <<End of religious rant. :-)>> |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 1:24 PM
I don't have any intention of doing anything like this in the future. I guess my question now is whether I should even bother trying or just killself now (not being literal here, of course). |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 2:51 PM |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 10:18 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 11:25 AM |
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Date: January 31st, 2010 11:38 AM
Post results here |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 9:38 AM |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 9:51 AM |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 10:19 AM |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 10:01 AM |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 1:37 PM |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 3:14 PM
Basically, I was hanging out at someone's house along with several other people. Two of them had some sort of feud and one decided to call the cops to try to get the other in trouble. The officers happened to arrive at the house at the exact moment I was about to step outside for some fresh air. As soon as I opened the door, I saw the officers out in the yard, maybe 30 feet away. I closed the door without ever setting foot outside. In court, the arresting officer testified that I was "loitering" outside the house and ran back inside - complete lies on his part. Mere seconds after I closed the door, the officers barged in after me and arrested me for obstruction, a totally trumped-up charge. There simply was no justification for them to have entered the residence absent of a warrant or even probable cause for an arrest. They didn't observe me committing a crime or anything of the sort. |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 3:19 PM
This doesn't matter. There are tons of cases of officers entering the WRONG house, finding drugs, and bam, drug conviction. |
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Date: February 1st, 2010 8:42 PM
But these cops completely denied you your constitutional rights by conducting a clearly illegal search, arresting you on false charges, and then lying about the whole ordeal. I am sure this is the not the first time people have been mistreated by these officers. The good news is things like this catch up to people like that and they will likely be dismissed from the force for breaking with procedure. So hopefully you will be the last person to suffer through something like this.
Think of this false arrest as mild reminder on why not to commit felonies. You really dodged a bullet here. Your life would have been over if these cops had actually done things by the book. :-)
I still think the bible holds the answers your looking for, but I am a religious nut. :-) |
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Date: February 5th, 2010 10:59 PM |
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Date: February 5th, 2010 11:02 PM |
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Date: February 5th, 2010 11:27 PM |
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Date: February 7th, 2010 3:20 AM |
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Date: February 9th, 2010 11:27 AM
"Security and Suitability Issues (Background Investigation): Candidates who accept an offer must undergo a full field background investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The investigation includes a name and fingerprint check; interviews with references, close personal associates, former spouses, former employers, co-workers, neighbors, landlords, and educational institutions; and a thorough check of credit, military, tax, and police records. The background investigation covers a period of seven to ten years. This process may take seven months or more to complete." |
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Date: February 9th, 2010 11:32 AM |