Long Beach Expungement Lawyer

Many of our clients find that DUI expungement is what they need to get their lives back on track following a DUI conviction. It could help with the college application process or applying for employment. Some clients just want closure on a mistake made on a single night that they would rather forget. All are good reasons to seek an expungement, and one of our Long Beach DUI lawyers can help you receive one.

There are a few misconceptions about what an expungement exactly is. An expungement is a legal proceeding to petition the Court to enter a plea of not guilty and dismiss your case. It is not a re-trial or a brand new case, just another step to add an addition to your file. The following is required for an expungement:

Completion of probation sentence or if no probation was granted, a year has passed since the conviction.
All fines, restitution and reimbursement ordered by the court have been paid in full.
The defendant is not on probation for another offense.
The defendant has no new pending cases.

What an expungement is not:

A permission to own or possess a firearm if you have been legally forbidden to do so.
A dismissal of your conviction as a priorable offense for future criminal cases, if the offense is applicable to a new case (such as an additional DUI).
An expungement will not waive your legal responsibility to register as a sex offender.

An expungement also does not completely “erase” your record as some may claim. But it will affect what will show up if someone runs a background check on you. If a non-governmental entity such as an employer or a university looks into your background, your conviction will probably not show up. However, if you are arrested and law enforcement run your name, the conviction will show up, but it will show that the case has been expunged.

Regarding employment applications, you will not have to answer “yes” to the prior conviction question on non-government related jobs. However, if you are applying for a government job, you will need to report your expunged conviction.

If you are interested in petitioning the court for an expungement, contact our firm of Long Beach DUI attorneys today.