Legal Question in Criminal Law in New York

I'm currently an Accountant and have been with a company for about 8 years. I've been blessed to be promoted to 3 different positions within the organization but I'm ready to advance my career. When I was hired back in 2002, organizations weren't doing background checks that often. Now youcan't escape it, I had a run in with the law in 1998 or 1999 which caused me to have a misdemeanor on my record. The charge was petty theft or something like that. I'm really not that sure what the charge was but I remember what I did. I was young then and regret what I've done because it makes me hesitate to apply for the jobs I want. Since the charge was theft and I have a misdemeanor does it make sense to pursue a career in accounting? I have my degree in Accounting and I extensive experience with good companies but I have this feeling that this charge will only hold me back and people will judge me by the charge.Should I re-evaluate my career? Do you thing having this charge will prevent me from furthering my career in Accounting?


Asked on 4/13/10, 8:41 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
peter bark bark & karpf

First determine what the actual charge and result was. Perhaps you were under 19 years old and the case was a Youthful Offender adjudication and not a misdemeanor conviction. Even if it was a misdemeanor conviction, you would not be barred from being an accountant but you should disclose it when applying for jobs and with acase so old not every prospective employer will hold it against you.

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Answered on 4/18/10, 4:12 pm


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