The Law Offices of Anthony Radogna will represent you in your moral character application process.
I break up my representation into two distinct stages to help you save on attorney fees.
I know you are a struggling law student so I first ask for a very small fee to review your moral character application, make changes as necessary, and then we can write responses/addendums as necessary.
I have worked as little as 5 hours with an applicant at this stage, and as much as 25 hours. Either way I charge the same small flat fee for the amount of time you are getting from me.
After we turn in your application with appropriate addendums, if necessary, the State Bar will sometimes send you a letter asking for additional information, or for additional clarification on issues. If that occurs, I do not charge you any more money.
After the application is finished and accepted, the moral character committee will sometimes request that you show up to a hearing.
I charge a separate small fee to prepare you for this hearing, and show up to it with you.
Let me explain the process a little more.
The job of any applicant is to demonstrate that you possess good moral character to the State Bar admissions department in order for you to become a California licensed attorney. I will guide you through the moral character committee's inquiry process, in the event more serious moral questions should arise.
Remember that the Committee considers evidence of candor, honesty, respect for the law, fiscal responsibility, and trustworthiness in other professions as evidence of good moral character.
This voluntary informal conference should be arranged by you if the committee has concerns about your application. This conference, though informal, is extremely important. In fact an unfavorable decision by the committee can have disastrous results and you may not be able to get your license. Therefore you need to prepare for this meeting.
If there is an unfavorable decision, you can appeal the Committee's findings and file an application for a moral character proceeding and hearing within 60 days of the notice. Obviously we don't want it to get to this point, so hiring my office early on is paramount.
For more information on the admissions process, read below.
According to the “Statement On Moral Character Requirement For Admission To Practice Law In California” page on the State Bar's website
“The Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California (Committee) is responsible for certifying qualified applicants for admission to practice law to the Supreme Court of California.”
It goes on to say:
“To obtain a license to practice law, an applicant must meet the pre-legal and legal education requirements, pass the specified examinations and must possess good moral character mandated by the Business and Professions Code and outlined in the Rules of The State Bar of California”. These standards are outlined in Title 4, Admissions and Educational Standards.
Remember that you as the applicant has the burden of establishing your “good moral character”. If you feel, even in the slightest, that some issues might arise during this process, call us for a consultation.
You should know that the application process itself will generally take four to six months so you should start it early and preferably sometime in the beginning of your last year of law school.
“In making its determination whether an applicant presently possesses the good moral character necessary for admission to practice law in California, the Committee considers evidence of candor and honesty, respect for the law and the rights of others, fiscal responsibility, and records of fidelity and trustworthiness in other professions for which he or she is licensed.”
Statement On Moral Character Requirement For Admission To Practice Law In California