Plagiarism case 6 years old

[anony12]

Hello all,

I have a plagiarism case from uni 4 years ago and since then I have worked for 2 years at a law firm and I am due to start my TC end of this year after completing my SQE masters. I am able to provide a strong reference from my previous employer about my character as well as a few really positive reviews from past clients (hopefully another reference from new employer). I was wondering whether the SRA would be likely to refuse admission based on that previous academic misconduct case? It would have been 6 years by the time I apply and I know I would have to provide evidence of rehabilitation. I have learnt a lot from the situation and since then have been walking a tight rope and obsessed with being better. Has anyone been admitted after being found for plagiarism previously and am I in a really bad position?

Would appreciate any thoughts on this as I am really worried all the hard work will go down the drain!

Thanks guys

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello all,

I have a plagiarism case from uni 4 years ago and since then I have worked for 2 years at a law firm and I am due to start my TC end of this year after completing my SQE masters. I am able to provide a strong reference from my previous employer about my character as well as a few really positive reviews from past clients (hopefully another reference from new employer). I was wondering whether the SRA would be likely to refuse admission based on that previous academic misconduct case? It would have been 6 years by the time I apply and I know I would have to provide evidence of rehabilitation. I have learnt a lot from the situation and since then have been walking a tight rope and obsessed with being better. Has anyone been admitted after being found for plagiarism previously and am I in a really bad position?

Would appreciate any thoughts on this as I am really worried all the hard work will go down the drain!

Thanks guys

Do an early suitability assessment with the SRA now. You can do this ahead of admission and would at least give you clarity on your situation rather than second guessing what could/might happen.

It’s really difficult to advise on this because the SRA weighs up the individual circumstances behind the issue not just the “charge” on its own and also the evidence do your subsequent character. This means one person with a plagiarism “charge” could pass the suitability assessment while another could not.

 

[anony12]

Do an early suitability assessment with the SRA now. You can do this ahead of admission and would at least give you clarity on your situation rather than second guessing what could/might happen.

It’s really difficult to advise on this because the SRA weighs up the individual circumstances behind the issue not just the “charge” on its own and also the evidence do your subsequent character. This means one person with a plagiarism “charge” could pass the suitability assessment while another could not.

Hi Jessica,

Thanks for getting back to me, please ignore my private message then

Have you experienced anyone who has passed despite having a plagiarism case on file? Just curious.

I will have an early suitability check carried out after I sit my SQE exams soon, would you advise doing this before I start my TC? Also would their decision now be binding and would I have to inform the firm about this?

Thanks!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

Thanks for getting back to me, please ignore my private message then

Have you experienced anyone who has passed despite having a plagiarism case on file? Just curious.

I will have an early suitability check carried out after I sit my SQE exams soon, would you advise doing this before I start my TC? Also would their decision now be binding and would I have to inform the firm about this?

Thanks!

Yes, I have. But I have also seen people not be able to qualify for similar reasons.

As mentioned, it’s really going to depend on the severity of the circumstances - for instance a simple lack of appropriate referencing or self plagiarism is going to be looked at very differently to clear plagiarism (e.g. bought essays). It’s also going to depend on the character references you have to support your submission. I would recommend trying to get an academic reference lined up alongside your professional ones.

I’d suggest doing to early suitability assessment at the earliest opportunity as it can take up to six months for a decision to be made.

I recommend reading this page on the SRA’s website regarding the other points: https://www.sra.org.uk/become-solic...ility/early-assessment-character-suitability/

Whether you tell your TC firm will depend on whether you need a reference from them (might be helpful) and also any terms related to your offer - I have seen terms in TC offers that state you would need to disclose/declare to them anything that you think could impact your ability to qualify/practice.

 

[anony12]

Yes, I have. But I have also seen people not be able to qualify for similar reasons.

As mentioned, it’s really going to depend on the severity of the circumstances - for instance a simple lack of appropriate referencing or self plagiarism is going to be looked at very differently to clear plagiarism (e.g. bought essays). It’s also going to depend on the character references you have to support your submission. I would recommend trying to get an academic reference lined up alongside your professional ones.

I’d suggest doing to early suitability assessment at the earliest opportunity as it can take up to six months for a decision to be made.

I recommend reading this page on the SRA’s website regarding the other points: https://www.sra.org.uk/become-solic...ility/early-assessment-character-suitability/

Whether you tell your TC firm will depend on whether you need a reference from them (might be helpful) and also any terms related to your offer - I have seen terms in TC offers that state you would need to disclose/declare to them anything that you think could impact your ability to qualify/practice.

Hi Jessica,

Thanks for your response again and the clear guidance.

My case surrounded 'evidence of plagiarism of a sufficiently serious nature' from the main law topic textbook which was sufficient to constitute plagiarism. The panel noted my written statement however took the view that verbatim used from the main law textbook was not properly referenced. I made it clear I was unaware that the amount of verbatim used from the textbook would constitute plagiarism however have accepted the decision and in reflection understand why this would be the case. I had been given previous warnings for poor practice due to untidy/poor referencing and not a proper understanding of it (I struggled with this early on during uni) however due to my poor mental health/financial issues at the time I was unable to apply correct time to properly learn and apply the sufficient level of referencing required. This also caused me to take an interruption from study (the familial financial issues).

I will obviously disclose this in the early character and suitability test, however my panel decision was dealt with at school level and the penalty was confined to the exam and not the whole module itself due to it being a first offence of malpractice. The decision also made no mention of dishonesty or deliberate cheating so hoping that would be a positive? Do you think this case itself would likely be refused admission if I provide strong character references from my previous employer who worked with me for two years and if I can get an academic one too?

I know there's only so much you can advise but would appreciate your view on this from past experience.

Many thanks again!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

Thanks for your response again and the clear guidance.

My case surrounded 'evidence of plagiarism of a sufficiently serious nature' from the main law topic textbook which was sufficient to constitute plagiarism. The panel noted my written statement however took the view that verbatim used from the main law textbook was not properly referenced. I made it clear I was unaware that the amount of verbatim used from the textbook would constitute plagiarism however have accepted the decision and in reflection understand why this would be the case. I had been given previous warnings for poor practice due to untidy/poor referencing and not a proper understanding of it (I struggled with this early on during uni) however due to my poor mental health/financial issues at the time I was unable to apply correct time to properly learn and apply the sufficient level of referencing required. This also caused me to take an interruption from study (the familial financial issues).

I will obviously disclose this in the early character and suitability test, however my panel decision was dealt with at school level and the penalty was confined to the exam and not the whole module itself due to it being a first offence of malpractice. The decision also made no mention of dishonesty or deliberate cheating so hoping that would be a positive? Do you think this case itself would likely be refused admission if I provide strong character references from my previous employer who worked with me for two years and if I can get an academic one too?

I know there's only so much you can advise but would appreciate your view on this from past experience.

Many thanks again!

I really can’t comment on what the likelihood would be unfortunately as I have not dealt with enough cases nor the decision making side from the SRA to be able to comment. My concern would be if you had earlier warnings this could be more of an issue where it is effectively not a one off instance.

However, not referencing documents properly is a pretty minor offence. I have seen far more severe offences get approved by the SRA (albeit not plagiarism issues but other misconduct issues).

The SRA will also take into account external circumstances like your financial and mental health issues, so you may also want to disclose them to the SRA when doing the early suitability assessment.