- An amendment to your application would be for an event (i.e., speeding ticket) that happened before you submitted your law school application to the University of Colorado Law school, but failed to report.
- An update to your application would be for an event (i.e., speeding ticket) that happened after you submitted your law school application (i.e. if you got a speeding ticket driving to campus when you were a 1L).
Frequently Asked Questions
The following are questions that students have asked regarding the bar application and character and fitness.
I just realized I need to amend my law school application. Should I do it now, or wait until I apply to the bar?
Amend your application as soon as you realize you left something out. We will process it right away, and you won't need to worry about it later when consequences for failing to amend could become more serious.
Can I amend my application through LSAC?
No. You must amend through the law school, following the process outlined above.
Am I going to get in trouble if I didn't disclose something? Will the bar authorities see my amendment and think I did something dishonest when I applied?
No. We're not looking to "catch" you for making an earlier mistake — everyone makes mistakes. An amendment to your application shows the bar authorities that you realized your mistake and were honest about it, rather than trying to hide it. It is much better to have an amendment in your application disclosing an incident you left off your application than it is to have the bar authorities find out about the incident on their own.
I was involved in an incident that occurred after I started law school. Do I need to amend my application to include this incident?
It depends. Check the certification statement at the end of your law school application. Depending on the year you applied, you may have agreed to report to the law school any new information that would change your answers to the character and fitness questions on your original application. If this applies to you, we will process this as an update (rather than amendment) to your application. The process to update is exactly the same as the process to amend - see the above bullet points.
When I applied, should I have disclosed a traffic violation from several years ago?
It depends —the application changes slightly each year, so you'll want to look back to your original application to our school (you can see it through lsac.org) to understand what information you were required to report. Carefully review the information requested by the questions in the Character and Fitness section. For example, the question regarding non-drug or alcohol traffic violations answered by applicants during the 2016-2017 admissions cycle asks if you have "ever been, in the last five years, investigated, arrested, cited for, charged with, or convicted for any traffic violation." So, if you were cited for a traffic violation in the five years prior to the date you submitted your application, you needed to disclose that, and should do so now via an amendment.
What about photo tickets, warnings, or other very minor violations where there may have been no documentation?
Carefully read the call of the applicable question. The language is quite broad, meaning you should include even very small violations, including those where you don't believe there was any documentation. It is better to include these incidents than worry that bar authorities will discover them later and question why you did not include them on your law school application.
Should I have disclosed a "minor in possession" or "open container" type of violation?
Because the application changes slightly each year, you'll want to look back to your original application to our school (you can see it through lsac.org) to understand exactly what information you were required to report. Carefully review the information requested by the questions in the Character and Fitness section to understand what you needed to disclose. For example, the application for the 2016-2017 admissions cycle asks for all offenses related to alcohol or drugs, meaning you should have reported a minor in possession or open container charge, and should do so now via an amendment.
When the application says to provide information for the past five years, how do they determine when the five years started?
Five years from the date you submitted your application.
What if I don't remember the exact date or details of the incident?
Try to find the information by doing appropriate searches - through the DMV, court records, etc. If you still cannot find any information, tell us as much as you can remember. If you need to estimate the date, exact charge, location, fine imposed, etc., please do so to the best of your ability, and let us know you're not 100% sure of certain details. For example: "Sometime in late 2014, I received a speeding ticket for going about 15 miles above the limit in Reno, Nevada. I paid a fine of approximately $150. The Nevada DMV did not have any record of the ticket."
Can you help me track down my driving record, criminal record, court documents, etc.?
No, unfortunately we do not have the expertise or resources to help you find your records. You will want to do research to determine how best to track down these types of documents or information.
Should I send you a copy of a traffic ticket, a copy of my driving record, or other documentation along with my amendment request?
No, you do not need to send copies of tickets, records, etc. unless we request them from you. Do not just send a ticket as an amendment - you must complete the amendment request and letter process described above.
I did not disclose an incident when I applied because the charges were dismissed or I was found not guilty. Do I need to amend to disclose this?
Yes. You were required to report an incident even if the charges were dismissed or if you were found not guilty, so you'll want to amend now to report this incident.
But someone told me that once a charge against me is dismissed, it is like the charge never happened and therefore I shouldn't report it on applications for jobs or schools.
The application asks about incidents that happened, so you should disclose it even if it is not on your record. We ask this question because honesty and candor are important qualities that offices of attorney admissions look for in evaluating applicants. It is far better to have an amendment in your application than it is for the bar authorities to find out about the incident on their own, and realize you did not disclose the incident to the law school.
I applied during the most recent admissions cycle. Where can I find more information about how I should have answered those specific Character and Fitness questions?
You can see FAQs regarding the Character and Fitness questions for the most recent admissions cycle application here.
- Law Student Wellness
- Fellowships
- Law School Student Employee Information
- Mentoring
- Student Organizations
- Student-Led Events
- Graduating Students
- Bar Admission
- The Uniform Bar Exam
- Character and Fitness
- Law School Applications and Bar Admission
- Bar Admission