Can I pass the bar if I got a seizure letter from customs?
July 12, 2009 11:56 AM Subscribe
Will ordering from online pharmacies ruin my chances for bar admission?
Bar applications are rearing their ugly heads, and I started trying to think of things that I may have done wrong. A couple of years ago I ordered some drugs (without a prescription, obviously) from one of those offshore pharmacy type websites. I got a customs seizure letter (although it was more like a one paragraph note), which I tossed, chalked it up to a mistake and never dealt with it (or the pharmacies) again. The purchase showed up on my credit card as some innocuous 3rd party processor.
So, what does this mean for me? Is there a record of this somewhere that would show up on a background check? Will the bar find out and deny me admission?
If you could please try not to lecture me about my stupidity, that would be great. I understand that it was a stupid move. My question is, will the bar know?
Thanks for your help.
Bar applications are rearing their ugly heads, and I started trying to think of things that I may have done wrong. A couple of years ago I ordered some drugs (without a prescription, obviously) from one of those offshore pharmacy type websites. I got a customs seizure letter (although it was more like a one paragraph note), which I tossed, chalked it up to a mistake and never dealt with it (or the pharmacies) again. The purchase showed up on my credit card as some innocuous 3rd party processor.
So, what does this mean for me? Is there a record of this somewhere that would show up on a background check? Will the bar find out and deny me admission?
If you could please try not to lecture me about my stupidity, that would be great. I understand that it was a stupid move. My question is, will the bar know?
Thanks for your help.
No. I have been through two states' bar admissions processes, and even the more exacting of the two would never have found out anything like that.
posted by jayder at 1:35 PM on July 12, 2009
posted by jayder at 1:35 PM on July 12, 2009
They will ask:
Have you been convicted? - no
They might ask:
Have you been arrested? - no
They will not ask:
Have you been interdicted without further processsing?
posted by caddis at 6:55 PM on July 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
Have you been convicted? - no
They might ask:
Have you been arrested? - no
They will not ask:
Have you been interdicted without further processsing?
posted by caddis at 6:55 PM on July 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
Highly doubt anyone cares. You weren't charged with anything in any way, shape, or form.
posted by zachlipton at 8:37 PM on July 12, 2009
posted by zachlipton at 8:37 PM on July 12, 2009
For the future, get a prescription for the relevant drug. Once you have a prescription, you should (IANAL) be legally allowed to possess the stuff and therefore import it in quantities reasonable for your personal use, and you can respond to customs seizure letters with a certified photocopy of your prescription.
If no legitimate doctor will give you a prescription, that ought to be a clue that you shouldn't be taking it.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 12:14 AM on July 13, 2009
If no legitimate doctor will give you a prescription, that ought to be a clue that you shouldn't be taking it.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 12:14 AM on July 13, 2009
I am not your lawyer.
One word of warning: most state bars expect over-disclosure, rather than under-disclosure. If you get a question that could, in any way, be construed as asking about this subject matter, and you fail to disclose it, that could be a substantial mark against you if they ever do find out - no matter how far in the future.
See if you can't get a hold, in advance, of the character and fitness q&a you'll be expected to fill out. If anything seems ambiguous, it would be a good investment of your time and money to consult an attorney who assists bar applicants. (Believe it or not, they exist.)
posted by mikewas at 11:38 AM on July 15, 2009
One word of warning: most state bars expect over-disclosure, rather than under-disclosure. If you get a question that could, in any way, be construed as asking about this subject matter, and you fail to disclose it, that could be a substantial mark against you if they ever do find out - no matter how far in the future.
See if you can't get a hold, in advance, of the character and fitness q&a you'll be expected to fill out. If anything seems ambiguous, it would be a good investment of your time and money to consult an attorney who assists bar applicants. (Believe it or not, they exist.)
posted by mikewas at 11:38 AM on July 15, 2009
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posted by edgeways at 1:26 PM on July 12, 2009