It may feel early in your 2L year, but believe it or not, it’s already time to start thinking about the Character and Fitness portion of your bar application. The Character and Fitness (C&F) section of the application varies by state, so it’s best to check the rules for your anticipated bar exam state before you complete the C&F application for a better understanding of the process. You can also download a free copy of the BARBRI Bar Exam Digest that has all of the bar exam information you need for each U.S. state. A sample NCBE Character and Fitness application is available here.
Why should you be thinking about this now? The C&F application process can be cumbersome because it requires A LOT of information. Tracking down all your information takes diligent research and time. To jump-start the process, consider reading through the application now so you’ll have a better sense of the information you’ll need to gather — while saving yourself some major headaches in the future.
Here are a few easy things you can do in your 2L year to get ahead of your C&F application:
Where have you lived?
Depending on the number of places you’ve lived throughout your life, this portion of the application may be minimal. However, many students have lived numerous places with varying addresses during undergrad and law school (think dorm room, various apartments, study abroad, etc.). You will likely need all your past addresses. In some states, students must report every address for the last 10 years or since they were 21, whichever is shorter.
Start this process by creating a casual list of all the places you’ve lived. Next, gather the exact address. If this sounds quite difficult to do, it may be helpful to review your Amazon or other online shopping profiles to see where you’ve shipped items in the past.
Where have you worked?
Your C&F application will want a list of every place you’ve worked. This list will need to include any short work stints, even if you were only at the employer a couple weeks. You will most likely need the address, phone number and a contact name.
A good place to start is to review your law school application. If you don’t have it handy, you can typically log in to LSAC.org and print a copy. Your LinkedIn profile as well as any job search sites where you have a profile (such as Indeed or Monster) will provide another reference point for reviewing your previous places of employment.
What’s on your credit report?
In addition to a background check, your state bar examiners may request a copy of your credit report. By requesting your report now, you will be made aware of any potential issues and will have plenty of time to deal with them before you submit your C&F application. You are entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies: TransUnion, Experian and Equifax.
While it may seem early to start your C&F process, taking these simple steps now will save you time and stress in the coming year.
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