Any applicant to The Florida Bar will have a Character and Fitness investigation performed during the application process. This is basically a background check to ensure that you are fit to serve the public as a licensed Florida attorney. You aren’t necessarily denied Florida Bar admission if your investigation raises some concerns. However, it is very likely that if this is the case the FBBE will call you for a Character and Fitness Hearing.
What Is The Purpose Of A Character And Fitness Investigation?
The purpose of the background check performed by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners when applying to The Florida Bar is to get a clear picture of an applicant’s Character and Fitness. Good Character and Moral Fitness a requirements for Florida Bar membership. These qualities ensure that licensed Florida lawyers will appropriately and lawfully serve the public and respectfully serve the legal and judicial systems.
What Will The Florida Board Of Bar Examiners Investigate?
The Board looks into your past conduct and any ongoing issues as well. This is why it is so incredibly important to provide full disclosure and complete honesty on your Bar application. The main investigative areas are:
- Driving history
- Employment history
- Academic history
- Financial history (including Child Support)
- Military history
- Civil lawsuits
- Criminal history
- Mental health
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Sexual misconduct
- Misrepresentation or failure to disclose information on your Bar application
How Can I Prepare For A Character and Fitness Investigation When Applying For The Bar?
You can prepare by being truthful and thorough on your Florida Bar application. If you have a hard time remembering possibly pertinent issues from your past, do your own background check on yourself. Gather all the information you can so that you have the most accurate and candid details to provide to the FBBE on your application.
If you have concerns about how your Background Investigation may turn out, consider finding ways to show you have turned your life around prior to applying to The Bar. Volunteering, therapy, and alcohol and substance abuse treatment are all ways to show you have grown from past misconduct. Elizabeth S. Conan, Florida Bar Admissions Attorney, is available for consultation and can guide you through other ways to prepare for Character and Fitness investigations and hearings.
What Is A Character And Fitness Investigation?
A Character and Fitness Investigation in law is a tool that helps to determine if a candidate is qualified to become a member of The Bar and a licensed lawyer in the state. This background check looks into a number of factors to help determine if the applicant has the Character and Fitness necessary to practice law.
Conclusion
Don’t spend too much time worrying about the Florida Bar Character and Fitness Investigation. Put your time and effort into providing candid and complete responses to your application. Elizabeth S Conan, Florida Character and Fitness Attorney can help you with this. If you have already applied to The Bar you may need to consider an amendment to your application or you may have even been called for a Character and Fitness hearing. Elizabeth can help you with these issues as well.