Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2004
Journal Title
South Texas Law Review
ISSN
1052-343X
Abstract
This article expands on the use and recommended methods of including criminal background inquiries on law school applications. Part I of this article begins with an introduction to the ethics issues arising in connection with the admission of law students. Part II focuses on different purposes served by criminal background questions on the law school admission application, including screening applicants’ fitness to practice law. Part III considers the various ways law schools handle applicants’ nondisclosure and expands on the benefits of a modified amnesty program. Part IV explores how criminal background inquiries differ in depth, spanning from questions asking about criminal convictions to questions covering criminal charges, and how these inquiries may reflect a socio-economic bias. Part V details the advantages lawyers can provide applicants regarding disclosure. The article concludes by recommending measures law schools can take to effectively employ criminal background inquiries while simultaneously limiting any socio-economic bias.
First Page
983
Last Page
996
Num Pages
14
Volume Number
45
Issue Number
4
Publisher
South Texas College of Law
Recommended Citation
Susan S. Fortney,
Law Student Admissions and Ethics - Rethinking Character and Fitness Inquiries,
45
S. Tex. L. Rev.
983
(2004).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/facscholar/241