Lessons · Law foundations · Character and fitness: file it early
Character and fitness: file it early because it is slow
Admission requires a separate determination of character and fitness, with its own application, fee and timetable. What is disclosed is verified: addresses, employment, finances, any matter involving a court or the police. It takes months and the duration is not in your control.
Hone is a place to practise a career, one idea a day. This is one of its lessons, written out in full and free to read without an account.
In beta. This lesson was written for Hone and has not yet been checked by an attorney. Practice material, not professional advice. What that means.
What it is for
It is the item that delays admission more than any other, and nearly always for one reason: it was started after the examination rather than before. A pass with an unfinished determination is not a licence, and a start date is lost to a queue.
How to think about it
File at the earliest date the board permits, usually while still studying. Disclose everything, including what seems too small to mention. Determinations are seldom refused for the underlying matter and frequently delayed for the omission, because what is being tested is candour.
Worked example
A separate application with its own fee and timetable.Not part of the examination application.
Disclosures are verified against records.Employment, addresses, finances, court and police matters.
It runs for months, outside your control.Filing date is the only lever you hold.
Omission causes more trouble than the underlying fact.Candour is the thing being measured.
Your turn
Which lever do you actually control in this process?
The only lever you hold is the date
Solve one, graded on the server
The trap
Judging for yourself that an old matter is too small to disclose. That judgement belongs to the board, and taking it yourself becomes the fact that matters.