State Bar Committee Approves Jail-To-Yale Lawyer

Reginal Dwayne Betts, was interviewed by the Connecticut Law Tribune in light of the state bar's temporary pause in the review of his application:

A former inmate who graduated from Yale Law School last summer has received the greenlight to practice in Connecticut.
Reginald Dwayne Betts was admitted to the bar on Friday after a meeting with the state’s examining committee.
“He is gratified with the action of the committee, and he looks forward to continuing the work he’s been doing, only this time as a lawyer where he can be more effective than he’s been,” said William F. Dow III, the New Haven-based attorney who represented Betts in this matter. “He’s grateful to the many people who’ve helped him, especially a significant number of inmates, who don’t even know him, but who appreciate what he’s done and the hope that he’s given to them.”
Last month, Betts’ application to the bar was given pause due to a felony conviction for carjacking in Virginia when he was a teen.
His case drew national attention, including an editorial from The New York Times calling on the bar association to approve him.