Richard Greenberg has spent more than 30 years representing applicants before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. During a presentation to a Professional Responsibility class of law students at Florida State University, he offered these tips:

1. The most important requirement for every person filing an application for admission to The Florida Bar is complete candor. One definition of candor is “straightforward honesty”. In other words, the entire unvarnished truth.
2. Every applicant should do a complete background check on themselves. This includes a credit check, driver’s license history, criminal history, and court filings check. You better believe the Board of Bar Examiners is going to do it.
3. As simple as it sounds, make sure you have read the bar application closely and responded to the questions on the application. I have represented many applicants in hearings before the Board of Bar Examiners who’s explanation for not disclosing something was that they “just skimmed over the application” or were “in a rush to complete it”.

Read more about what Richard has to say about admissions in his article, “Florida Bar Admission Proceedings: Why You Need Counsel“