EXPUNGEMENTS
Criminal Defense Lawyer in Baton Rouge
No matter the job, most employers do detailed background checks. And if you have a criminal arrest and/or conviction from your past you most likely will not be hired.
However, all is not lost. In most cases, you can have your criminal conviction or arrest expunged. So long as you have completed your sentence, probation or parole and paid all of your fines, you can have your criminal record wiped clean. The best thing is that getting an expungement is relatively inexpensive and definitely worth the cost if your arrest or conviction is preventing you from getting a job.
The most obvious benefit of expungement concerns employment. An expungement of your conviction will allow you to truthfully represent private sector employers that you have no conviction. Another benefit is peace of mind. We’ve all made mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance. An expungement will give you the peace of mind to put your past mistakes behind you and move forward with your future. If you have been convicted of a DUI/DWI you will definitely want to have your conviction expunged to avoid having to carry expensive SR-22 insurance.
How Long Does An Expungement Take?
How long will it take to get my arrest or conviction expunged is a frequently asked question. The short answer is about 6-8 months. The reason it takes this long is not because of the attorney. It takes the attorney a short period of time to complete the necessary paperwork and file it with the court. After the attorney files the paperwork, the clerk’s office sends it to the judge who then reviews it to determine if the person is eligible for an expungement. If so, the judge then signs the order and sends it back to the clerk’s office. The clerk then sends the order of expungement to the Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney, the State Police and the Bureau of Criminal Identification telling them to remove the record of your arrest/conviction from their records. At each of these agencies there is a person assigned to do this. As you can imagine, these agencies are in no hurry to do this paperwork. Therefore, it takes time for each of these agencies to manually go into their computers and expunge your record. It is your attorney’s job to follow up with these people to ensure your expungement is handled in a timely manner.
If you want more information about expungements or to determine of you are eligible for an expungement, call Baton Rouge Criminal Defense Attorney Rhett Spano for a free and confidential consultation.