Become a licensed attorney after a felony conviction

Can someone go to law school and become a licensed attorney after a felony conviction?

I had two felony pc 452 counts expunged. I would like to become a attorney. Would any law school accept me? Would I actually be able to obtain a Licensed to practice law in California?

Nathan’s Answer

Felonies in California create a presumption that one is not fit to practice law. It is a presumption that can be overcome by the passage of time, volunteering, keeping your record clean and showing that you have remediated whatever issues caused you to be convicted. Expungements will have no effect on a moral character determination required to practice law as the administrative standard for finding you are of requisite moral character is not tied down by the high standard of evidentiary trappings as legal proceedings might be. Also, full disclosure would be necessary to any law school, so that you don't run into the issue of not being found of requisite moral character because of honesty issues. A consultation with an ethics attorney would be appropriate to assist you in styling any application for law school or to the State Bar of California. The attorney may also be able to help guide you in the right direction regarding what positive actions to take to strengthen your applications to either.