Mike Ross: Legal Eagle Or Lawbreaker?

Mike Ross is a character in the TV show *Suits* who works as a lawyer without having attended law school or having a law degree. In the show, Ross passes the bar exam and has a photographic memory, but he does not have a license to practice law, which is illegal. Ross also breaks the law in other ways, including cheating on the LSATs, delivering weed, conspiring to commit fraud, and breaking into a rival firm to do corporate espionage.

Impersonating a lawyer

In the TV show *Suits*, Mike Ross, a brilliant college expellee, impresses Harvey Specter during an interview and gets hired as an associate at the prestigious law firm Pearson Hardman, despite never having attended law school. Throughout the show, Mike is able to practice law and even becomes a junior partner at the firm. However, his lack of a law degree catches up with him, and he is eventually arrested and sentenced to prison.

In real life, a similar case occurred with Leaford George Cameron, who posed as an attorney in Burlington, New Jersey. Cameron went to great lengths to maintain his facade, creating fake firm names, forging business cards, and even using Attorney Identification Numbers from legitimate Pennsylvania attorneys. He was ultimately convicted of impersonating an attorney and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Practising law without a license

In the show Suits, Mike Ross is a brilliant college expellee who gets caught up in his roommate's drug deal. He manages to impress Harvey Specter, a senior partner at Pearson Hardman, during an interview and gets hired as an associate lawyer on the spot, despite not having a law degree.

• Holding oneself out as an attorney, lawyer, or someone entitled to engage in the practice of law. For example, renting a building and using a sign saying that it is a law firm or legal office.
• Representing others in court or other judicial proceedings, including formal arbitration or mediation hearings, as well as regulatory or administrative proceedings.
• Negotiating on behalf of someone else if the negotiations involve legal rights or responsibilities.
• Preparing legal documents for another person, such as choosing what legal documents a person should create, assisting in creating those documents, or preparing them on the person's behalf. However, some states allow for non-attorney document preparation services.
• Giving legal advice to others about their legal rights, what they need to do to protect those rights, or other forms of legal advice.

The unauthorized practice of law can be charged as either a misdemeanour or a felony, depending on the state in which the activity occurs and the circumstances. Penalties for practising law without a license can include incarceration, fines, probation, and restitution.

Cheating on the LSATs

Mike Ross, a character in the show Suits, is a brilliant college expellee who gets caught up in his roommate's drug deal. Despite never attending law school, he manages to practice law and work as a lawyer.

In the show, Mike Ross takes the LSATs for other people as a living. He also takes the bar exam for a bet and passes. However, in reality, cheating on the LSATs is serious business and can lead to severe consequences. There have been documented cases where people have been arrested, charged, and even jailed for cheating on the LSATs.

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a standardized test required to get into an ABA law school. It is nearly impossible to cheat on the LSAT, especially with the strict monitoring and proctoring procedures in place. There are lockdown browsers, AI monitoring, and thorough room scans to ensure that test-takers do not cheat.

Despite the challenges of cheating on the LSAT, some individuals still attempt to do so through elaborate schemes and technological workarounds. For example, in 1997, two college students from California hired someone to steal the LSAT exam, which was then transmitted to them in Hawaii via pager. They scored in the 99th percentile but raised red flags by bombing the experimental section. They were caught and faced criminal charges and civil lawsuits.

Another example occurred in 2007, where a 30-year-old man in New Jersey attempted to bribe LSAC employees for a copy of the LSAT with $5,000. He was caught and sentenced to 5 years of probation and a mandatory mental health evaluation and treatment.

These examples highlight the risks and consequences of cheating on the LSAT. It is essential to study and prepare for the exam instead of resorting to unethical and illegal means.

Delivering drugs

In the pilot episode of the TV show Suits, Mike Ross delivers a suitcase of marijuana for his friend Trevor, only to find that the drop is a sting operation. While escaping the police, he stumbles into an interview with Harvey Specter, a senior partner at the law firm Pearson Hardman, and impresses the attorney with his quick thinking, eidetic memory, and encyclopedic knowledge of law.

Mike's delivery of drugs for Trevor is not the only instance of him breaking the law. In the show, Mike is a former lawyer and junior partner at Specter Litt, a legal consultant/supervisor at the Eastside Legal Clinic, and an investment banker at Sidwell Investment Group. Despite his career in law, Mike never attended law school or graduated from college. He is arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud in the season 5 summer finale and is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut.

Committing fraud

Mike Ross is a fictional character in the TV show Suits, in which he is a college dropout who becomes a lawyer despite not having a law degree. In the show, Ross is arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud and is tried for the illegal practice of law.

Ross's fraud begins with his employment as a lawyer. In the show's pilot episode, Ross delivers a briefcase of marijuana to a hotel room, only to discover that it is a police sting operation. He flees and ends up in the room where Harvey Specter, a senior partner at the law firm Pearson Hardman, is interviewing for an associate lawyer position. Despite not having attended law school, Ross impresses Specter with his legal knowledge and is hired on the spot.

Ross's lack of qualifications is a closely guarded secret. Initially, only Specter and Ross know about his background, but over time, several other characters, including Donna Paulsen, Jessica Pearson, and Louis Litt, also learn the truth. Specter goes to great lengths to protect Ross, risking his job and reputation. However, in season 5, Ross is arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud. Although he is found not guilty, he pleads guilty and is incarcerated.

In addition to practising law without a degree, Ross also engages in other fraudulent activities. He takes the LSAT for other people in exchange for money and, at one point, takes the bar exam as a bet, passing it. He also delivers drugs for his friend Trevor, although he eventually cuts ties with him.

In the show, Ross's fraud is ultimately exposed, leading to his arrest and incarceration. However, he is eventually freed from prison and obtains his law license, allowing him to practise law legitimately.

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