Continuity / logic issues on Mike's arc re: licensure

Just started watching clips on Youtube (really enjoying it), so these may be dumb questions for people that have seen entire seasons of entire episodes, in order, but here we go.

I believe I read that college age Mike was taking the bar for people. As a comparison, many (all?) states do not have a degree requirement for a PE license (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Civil, Structural, etc). There is a test, and the prerequisite to take the test is passing an earlier preliminary exam called the FE or EIT, and x number of years of experience under someone licensed. There is no degree requirement at all, but most or all of the states will credit the corresponding number of years for a degree toward the experience. So if the requirement is 6 years, you could test with a BS and two years, or a MS and no work experience, and so on.

Now Mike supposedly, after serving his two years in prison, takes and passes the bar and is now officially an attorney. I have no idea if New York will give you a law license just based on the bar exam, or if a JD is required, but if they do (if he didn't get a degree in the interim), why didn't he just do that in the first place, since he was already taking and passing the bar?

Also, I think most or all states have a "good moral character" requirement for issuing a license, so you'd think his conviction and sentence might prevent that as well. Anyone have any details that reconciles all this?