Expungement

You have paid your debt, served your time, and you are ready to move on in a new direction, but your criminal record is holding you back. Your previous conviction affects your employment, your ability to rent housing, obtain credit, and your ability to get professional licenses. A skilled and experienced attorney can help you have your record sealed, or “expunged” so that your record will not hold you back.

The lawyers at Malarcik Pierce Munyer Will have helped hundreds of clients expunge their records and start fresh, as if they had never been convicted of a crime. Because the process can be confusing and you must convince a judge that you have truly changed, it is essential that you have an experienced and skilled attorney working for you.

There are six criteria that must be met before you can apply to have your record sealed:

• The offense must be one that is eligible for expungement.
• You must not have been subject to mandatory prison time. You must have been eligible for probation for the crime you committed, even if you did not get it.
• This must have been your first and only conviction, other than minor misdemeanors or multiple charges arising out of the same actions.
• The required amount of time must have passed since you completed your jail time or probation: 1 year for a misdemeanor, 3 years for a felony.
• You must not have any current criminal or traffic cases pending against you.
• You cannot have already had your record expunged.

If you meet those criteria, then it is possible to have your record sealed. This means that you can honestly say you have no criminal record and the conviction will not appear when your record is checked.

Police, prosecutors and certain agencies can still see it, and if you commit another crime, your record can be considered for sentencing.

If you do not meet these criteria, then you may be eligible for parole or clemency.

Even if you meet all six of the criteria listed above, you will still need to convince a judge that you are fully rehabilitated and that it would be fair to seal your record. It can be difficult and intimidating to appear before a judge on your own.

The filing process can be quite complicated, and your chances of success will improve if you have a skilled lawyer at your side, working for you.

Being convicted of a crime is a serious matter: it can affect your future employment, your family life, your finances, and your freedom. Expunging your record will help you move on, without your record holding you back.

The court process is confusing. The sooner you have a criminal defense lawyer working for you, the more likely you will have a good result.

Call us today: (330) 253-0785.

Our offices are located in downtown Akron, at 121 S. Main St., Ste. 520. We serve clients in courts throughout Northeast Ohio, including Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Youngstown, and the surrounding areas.