I am applying to a law school in north Alabama, and I have a question. I applied for a license with the state a few years ago, and I answered the question of "Have you ever been convicted of a crime" with a "no."

When I was a teenager, I was arrested for minor in consumption of alcohol and indecent exposure (I was skinny dipping). I was allowed to plead youthful offender (YOA) and was told that the case file was sealed.

Well, someone made a mistake, and the arrest was published to the ABI and FBI files, and when a background check was run, up these charges came. The city attorney for the town I was arrested in assured me that all of the mistakes were corrected and that my file was now sealed, really.

In order to keep my job, I did a ton of research and found an opinion by the state attorney general that said youthful offender was not to be considered a conviction and could not keep a person from becoming certified or licensed by the state of Alabama. Furthermore, he said that it was considered an ajudication. After copying the opinion and sending the info to the state department that was going to handle my certification, and they gave me my license.

So, on my law school application, how do I answer, "Have you ever been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic offense?"

Thanks for the help.