General Credit Topics

[LionLaw]

Here's a question that only credit-obsessed lawyers could answer, so I figured this would be a good place to ask it.

I took the bar exam in July. The results won't be released for another couple of weeks. But, I just got an alert from Credit Karma that I got a hard pull of my TU report from the board of bar examiners. It seems to me that they wouldn't pull my CR unless I passed the exam, but I can't confirm. Does anyone here have any anecdotal evidence?

[djrez4]

Can't answer your question, but what state are you in that pulls credit for a bar app?

[RobertEG]

It would seem logical that they would not routinely go to the time and expense of pulling credit reports on all applicants taking the exam.

They might, as a matter of practice, do so in the event the exam is passed, and thus expedite processing, but I kinda doubt it.  They clearly have permissible purpose, as evaluation of character is a factor, and thus they have a "legitimate business purpose."

Good luck!

[LionLaw]

djrez4: this is Delaware. I am already admitted in two other states, and they both pulled my CR as a part of the character & fitness evaluation, so this is nothing new to me.

Robert: I am thinking the same thing. I expected my report to get pulled at some point, as I've been through all this before, and I consented to have my credit checked when I submitted my app back in April. I'm just hoping that they wouldn't actually go through with the credit check unless I actually passed the exam first, in which case, I got early notice of the fact that I passed. Fingers crossed...

[tdoger]

No, but nice try.  It has been a number of years for me, but I do remember they pulled mine before the test date.  It is just one of the things that gets checked off the list prior to admission.   

[djrez4]

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LionLaw wrote:
djrez4: this is Delaware. I am already admitted in two other states, and they both pulled my CR as a part of the character & fitness evaluation, so this is nothing new to me.

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I guess we just don't care as much about character in Colorado.  Bunch of cowboys, here.

EDIT: Now that I look, it appears that I did get my credit pulled.  I wasn't monitoring back then, so I was unaware.  It looks as though I paid for it as part of the exam fee, so they may very well just pull everyone's credit, regardless of how well one scored on the exam.

[LionLaw]

tdoger: do you mind sharing what state pulled prior to the testing date?

[ready13]

i thought that was a definate part of the discovery in the character profiling process ???? im so sure to wait on the bar app. that i would expect that and some for the acceptance and i would think that it all depends on what it shows not if they did pull which they obviously did. If you are not being made aware of anything then you should maybe look into the time span and limitations and doesnt it tell you how the process works i mean they have to tell you this somewhere when you signed your app, you need to look over all your papers the answers are there.

[Sladyesq]

In CA I believe it is part of the moral character check. They did ours before Bar results. I know a couple who didn't pass exam but passed moral fitness. One is not dependent on the other.