Talking about the felons becoming a lawyer, some say no, but it isn’t impossible. Being a convicted felon can hamper the chance to try to do certain things in life freely. Going for a vacation abroad in some places or applying for jobs, there are some areas with fewer restrictions. It relates to the individuals who were convicted of a felony.
A convicted felon can become a lawyer. Yes, it is a possibility! Although unlike a number of different jobs in other fields, the job of a lawyer is comparatively easier. It can be a good chance for the felons becoming a lawyer. However, it is still difficult to become a lawyer having some past criminal records.
Is it the right decision for felons becoming a lawyer? – Basic things to follow
Before you apply for the work of a knowledgeable lawyer, you have to stay in mind some basic items. Take a look at the following pointers.
- First, you have to be serious about this job. Being an attorney may be a huge responsibility as you are getting to add the jurisdiction department. Henceforth, only consider it if you are serious about it.
- Secondly, you would like to urge admission to a school of law. However, this varies from state to state. Some states require a school of law education while some others do not. For instance, in states like Virginia, California, New York, you will still become a lawyer without getting to the school of law, by a process referred to as ‘reading the law.’
- The school of law does not prevent your application on the grounds of your past conviction. Meanwhile, this rule may vary from state to state laws in the USA.
Difficulties faced by the felons becoming a lawyer
Logically speaking, working within the legal department is of course difficult for a convicted felon because when an individual is convicted of a felony, it implies that the person has done something unlawful and gone against the law. As a result, a stigma is attached to the convicted felon, and this presumably could have some implications when it involves applying for the work of a lawyer.
Whether a convicted person is going to be allowed to become an attorney or not completely depends on the rule of law of the state itself. Some states have stricter laws, while other states have relatively less strict rules.
Felons becoming a lawyer should consider state laws
When it involves the felons becoming a lawyer, three states immediately ban them from the profession of a lawyer – Kansas, Texas, and Mississippi. However, territories such as Palau and the Northern Mariana Islands do not allow the felons becoming a lawyer. Meanwhile, the principles for determining whether a convicted felon is eligible for the work of an attorney or not are highly region-specific.
Many states will cause you to await a selected amount of your time after your sentence before you will finally be eligible for applying for the work of an attorney. Talking about Missouri, you have to attend for a minimum of 5 years after your sentence to be finally eligible for becoming a lawyer. Meanwhile, the state of Oregon allows someone to be an attorney unless the crime they were convicted for was something that would debar a lawyer.
How to become a lawyer?
When it comes to the examination, no one can ban a person despite the felony. However, the difficulty is to obtain a license for working as a lawyer. Further, they require doing the following.
- Sit for an exam.
- If they pass, they are going to need to undergo an ethical character test and pass it, which can enable the person to practice the profession of an attorney.
- The state licensing board does the background check. For this, you are asked to supply detailed documents about your past life, where you lived, etc. A convicted felon is presumably to possess difficulty during this test. As stated earlier, there could be a stigma attached to the convicted felon.
The examiners would not attempt to prove that you simply are not of excellent moral character simply because you have a past conviction. Therefore, you want to convince them that you simply have changed, and your past misconduct does not define who you are today. To prove this, there are several methods. These include:
- Participating in community service
- Obtain a personality certificate from a renowned authority
- Offer to figure for free of charge during the probation period
Conclusion
Disclosing your past misconduct will not make the examiners outright cancel you. Rather, your honesty will increase the probability of your selection. Therefore, it is vital to be kept in mind that sitting within the exam and spending it is important, but what’s more important is passing the moral character test, which is that the harder challenge. Hope you get the license to become a lawyer.
