Rule 212 Consideration by the Board

Here's a plain English summary of this rule:

When someone applies to become a lawyer in Pennsylvania, the Board of Law Examiners looks over their application closely. The Board doesn't just take the application at face value. They can dig deeper using whatever methods they think are needed to check if the person is actually fit and qualified to practice law.

This gives the Board a lot of freedom in how they investigate applicants. They might check references, look into someone's background, ask follow-up questions, or use other tools to verify what's on the application. The goal is to make sure only qualified people who meet the character and fitness standards become licensed attorneys.

For applicants, this means you should expect your application to be reviewed carefully, and possibly investigated further beyond just what you wrote on paper. Being honest and thorough on your application matters, since the Board has the power to look into your background using methods they choose.