Attach your personal statement describing your motivation for law school, any obstacles you have overcome, or your goals once your law degree has been awarded. The personal statement should be 1½ to 2 pages, double spaced, and on one side of the page(s). Please do not attach writing samples or other such material to your application.

This section is optional.

If you answered YES to any of the character and fitness questions, you must submit a detailed explanation including date(s), circumstances surrounding the incident, and the final outcome. In some cases, court documentation may be required. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is accurate and complete before submitting your application.

This section is optional.

If there is anything else in your application that you wish to explain to the Admission Committee please outline them here.

Please attach a separate addendum or professional résumé listing the following information:

• Any significant work experience (including military and type of discharge) since graduation from high school.
• Academic honors received including scholarships, fellowships, prizes, and honor societies.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ON THE APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION

Every American jurisdiction in which you may practice law after graduation from law school requires each applicant for admission to the bar to meet character and fitness requirements as a condition of eligibility for admission. A character and fitness review will require truthful, accurate and complete reporting of all requested information related to past conduct that bar examiners may deem relevant to one’s fitness to practice law, in most jurisdictions including (but not limited to) all criminal arrests, charges, plea agreements, convictions, or instances of being taken into custody, as a juvenile or adult; all traffic violations except minor parking citations; involvement as a party to civil litigation; acts of fraud, dishonesty or lack of candor; educational discipline or misconduct; failure to pay financial obligations; and substance abuse. Many jurisdictions require disclosure of all criminal arrests, charges, plea agreements or convictions, as a juvenile or adult, even where the record has been expunged.

It should be noted, however, that while bar admission boards require a complete disclosure of requested information, in many instances past relevant conduct, particularly if isolated and/or not recent, has not resulted in denial or delay of admission to the bar in a particular jurisdiction of interest. (This is not to suggest or predict how any jurisdiction’s bar admissions board would respond to any applicant’s particular conduct disclosures going forward.)

A failure to truthfully, accurately and completely respond to a character and fitness inquiry, however, is commonly deemed a character and fitness violation in and of itself, and may be more detrimental to bar admission prospects than the undisclosed or incorrectly disclosed underlying conduct. Please be aware that if you answer “YES” to any of the following questions and are offered admission to Barry University School of Law, this is no guarantee by the law school that you will likewise gain admission to any particular state bar (including the Florida Bar). Admission to a state bar is a process separate from admission to law school, and each state bar makes its own determination of whether an applicant is fit to be admitted to its bar. You are encouraged, as you go through the law school application process and before you enter law school, to determine the character and fitness requirements of the jurisdiction(s) where you intend to practice law. In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners at www.ncbex.org/. If you are uncertain where you will practice law, you may wish to review the Standard NCBE Character and Fitness Application, titled Request for Preparation of a Character Report, of the National Conference of Bar Examiners, which is used by a number of jurisdictions’ bar admission authorities.

Please pay close attention to the information that has been requested on the following questions of your Application for Admission. If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” you are required to provide a complete statement explaining the applicable

1. Educational Institution Discipline. (Academic Probation, Suspension, Expulsion) Answer the following question "Yes" or "No". If your answer is YES, an addendum addressing this issue MUST be included. Have you ever been warned, placed on academic probation, suspended, or expelled? If yes, provide a complete statement including the circumstances, the offense date, institution, and resolution or punishment.

2. If you answered "yes" to the above question please explain: (maximum characters 2500)

3. Educational Institution Discipline (Academic Dishonesty). Answer the following question "Yes" or "No." If yes, an addendum addressing this issue must be included. Have you ever been the subject of or accused of cheating, plagiarism, or other academic dishonesty at any school? If yes, provide a complete statement including the circumstances, the offense date, institution, and resolution or punishment.

4. If you answered "yes" to the above question please explain: (maximum characters 2500)

5. Education Institution Discipline. (Honor or Student Conduct Code Violations, Warnings or Probations) Has any type of honor code, ethics or conduct code complaint been made against you, or have you ever been investigated for any of these at any undergraduate, graduate or law school institution?  If your answer is "yes", please supply all details of the matter(s), including but not limited to (1) date(s) involved, (2) specific charges or the specific conduct involved, (3) name, address and telephone number of both the academic institution and the particular office or person involved in investigating or charging, (4) whether any hearing was held on any such complaint(s) or charge(s), and (5) regardless of whether any hearing was held, the specific resolution of the complaint(s) or charge(s).

6. If you answered "yes" to the above question please explain: (maximum characters 2500)

7. Felony Offense(s) Answer the following question "Yes" or "No." If yes, an addendum addressing the issue must be included. In your entire life, have you ever been arrested, detained, or restrained, taken into custody, or accused formally or informally of a felony, whether or not the charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor, other lesser charge or dismissed? If yes, provide a copy of the final disposition and a complete explanation of the circumstances leading to the arrest, the subsequent action taken by the authorities, and the final disposition, including information about the conviction, incarceration, probation, and restoration of civil rights.

8. If you answered "yes" to the above question please explain: (maximum characters 5000)

9. Misdemeanor Offense(s). Answer the following question "Yes" or "No." If yes, an addendum addressing this issue must be included. In your entire life, have you ever been arrested, detained, or restrained, taken into custody, or accused formally or informally of a misdemeanor offense? If yes, provide a complete explanation of the circumstances leading to the arrest(s), the subsequent action taken by authorities, and the final disposition, including conviction, incarceration, and probation.

10. If you answered "yes" to the above question please explain: (maximum characters 5000)

11. Sealed or Expunged Records. Answer the following question "Yes" or "No." In your entire life, have you ever had any record expunged or sealed by a court or any other authority or institution? If yes, provide a complete explanation of the underlying circumstances regarding the record(s) sealed or expunged.

12. If you answered "yes" to the above question please explain: (maximum characters 5000)

13. Civil Litigation. Answer the following question "Yes" or "No." If yes, an addendum addressing this issue must be included. In your entire life, have you ever been a defendant, counter-defendant, cross-defendant, respondent, or third**-**party defendant in any civil court proceeding? This includes, but is not limited to, default judgments, business proceedings, tax, or other governmental liens/assessments, and bankruptcy. If yes, list each and provide a summary of facts and final disposition.

14. If you answered "yes" to the above question please explain: (maximum characters 5000)

1. Complete your application to Barry Law using the LSAC electronic application; the application will automatically be certified through this process. Be sure to include the date.

2. Attach your personal statement and resume to the application. At Barry University School of Law, we value diversity and commitment to public service. Your personal statement may address diversity and a commitment to public service, and/or your motivation to attend law school, any obstacles you have overcome, or your intended goals once your law degree has been awarded. The personal statement should be 1 to 2 pages, double spaced, and on one side of the page(s). Do not attach writing samples or other such material to your application.

3. Make sure that you check the correct response regarding citizenship and that you accurately answer each question. List EVERY undergraduate school attended and provide an official transcript to LSAC. Include graduate and post graduate institutions.

4. If you answer "yes" to any of the Character and Fitness questions, you must provide a detailed explanation, including dates as well as the circumstances surrounding the incident. In some cases, court documentation may be requested. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is accurate and complete before transmitting your application. It is strongly recommended that you save a copy of your application for future reference. The priority deadlines to submit your application is May 1st for the Fall semester and November 15th for the Spring semester. Barry Law will accept applications until all seats are filled.

5. Register for the CAS and verify that all undergraduate transcripts are sent for inclusion in your CAS Report. We require at least one letter of recommendation and at least two letters of recommendation are strongly encouraged.

Barry University follows a rolling admissions policy and we accept applications until all seats are filled. If accepted, a $200 non-refundable seat deposit is required to hold your seat. This deposit will be credited towards tuition. If you choose to enroll, your CAS report should contain copies of transcripts from each undergraduate institution attended. You should also have a final transcript with the degree conferred forwarded for inclusion in the CAS report.

If your contact information changes from the time of the initial application, please contact the admissions office immediately. You will receive an email with your username and password after submitting your application. It is important to have a valid email address listed on your application to utilize the online status check feature as well as enable the receipt of important communications throughout the application and admissions process.

Please contact us at lawadmissions@barry.edu if you have any questions regarding the application process.