One of the questions nearly every law school application asks is whether you've been convicted of a felony or an alcohol-related misdemeanor. In applying to schools across the country a couple years ago, I wrote this piece to add to my packet. I found it today and could not stop laughing

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On May 7th, 2001, I pled guilty in Marin County Superior Court to the charge of Driving Under the Influence for which I was arrested several weeks earlier. On the evening in question, I got into an argument on the phone with my girlfriend of one year. She was up the coast about 100 miles in Sea Ranch, California visiting her mother. Upon hanging up from that conversation I went out with a handful of people to celebrate the recent employment of one of our friends. Over the course of the evening I had several vodka tonics and a series of conversations in which my friends and I determined it would be a good idea to drive up to Sea Ranch and iron things out with Kate, my girlfriend.

As such, I left the bar and started driving north toward Sea Ranch. Feeling completely sober, I approached the first of several exits one must take to get to Sea Ranch from Berkeley and followed what I thought were the appropriate signs. Unfortunately, I took a wrong turn and found myself lost just south of San Rafael. Driving up Highway 101 at this point, I reached into the glovebox for a map and let the car swerve to the right as I did so. Behind me 100 yards or so was a California Highway Patrolman. Having witnessed the car swerve, he turned on his lights and pulled me over. Smelling alcohol, I'm sure, he asked me to step from the vehicle. He administered a field sobriety test which I passed. He then administered a breathalyzer test which I failed.

At my court appearance on May 7th I pled guilty to the DUI charge and agreed, as a first-time offender, to attend and complete an alcohol education/awareness program. I enrolled with Occupational Health Services in Oakland and completed the program in short order. While I--and people who know me well--can confidently say I do not have a problem with alcohol, I participated actively during the Saturday morning sessions and learned valuable lessons about myself, about the nature of addiction, and about impaired driving.

Since this unfortunate and disappointing incident, I have not gotten behind the wheel after having even the slightest amount of alcohol nor have I gotten in a car with someone who has been drinking. While no one wants to be convicted of DUI, I have taken several positive things from this otherwise negative experience and used them to make me a better person. Ultimately, I am focused, excited, and ready to spend the next three years studying that which I broke when I got behind the wheel after drinking---the law.

Posted by nils at 8:27 PM

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