It is a civil process that can have records of prior criminal convictions sealed of destroyed, which means that those convicted of minor misdemeanors can have a clean record and not be held back from employment or other processes that require a background check. An expungement lawyer specializes in working with the very specific laws related to this process in their area. It has a lot of requirements that will need to be met, depending on the locality, and having legal advice to ensure these conditions are met can be invaluable.

The process required to get records cleared is not a particularly complicated one is most areas; however, a lot of requirements will need to have been met to allow the process to be completed. The benefits of having a specialized expungement lawyer are many, but one of the most important ones is the knowledge of what convictions are available to be cleared and the requirements that will need to have been fulfilled to allow the records to be destroyed or sealed. An important thing to note is that federal convictions are not eligible at any time.

The basis for this process has much to do with the initial crime. It must be a minor misdemeanor with no violence associated with it. The specific laws about which crimes may be eligible for this process are determined by individual states, but if it is a minor crime, then it is likely to be eligible. If the requirements of the sentence imposed have been met, probation has been completed, and the person committing the crime has had a clean record with no other convictions, then this may be an option. An expungement lawyer will be able to inform on whether the requirements have been fully met to allow for the process to be completed.

An expungement lawyer will help you to understand any other requirements based on your state's individual laws. If these are met, then the specialized attorney can complete the civil proceedings to have the records of conviction sealed or destroyed. While it is a process that deals with criminal matters, the actual process is a civil one and as with any legal proceeding, the particulars can be complex and simple errors in paperwork can be expensive and lead to the entire proceeding being stalled or even halted. For these reasons, turning to an experienced expungement lawyer can save time, inconvenience, and even money over the long term. The knowledge that the proceedings are being handled professionally, without the need to worry about complex paperwork and an obtuse legal procedure, will make the retaining of professional legal representation more than worth the financial outlay.