Seal & Expunge Attorney in FL
Sealing and expunction refers to the process of removing public access to criminal history records, including records relating to arrest and conviction. Expunction is also frequently referred to as expungement, but these term mean the same thing.
What Criminal History Records can be Sealed or Expunged?
Criminal history records are kept by a variety of governmental entities, such as clerks of court, police departments, county sheriffs, county jails, publicly or privately operated diversion programs, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Florida Department of Corrections. There may be a variety of records relating to your arrest that are generated or collected by these agencies.
Background check companies can easily obtain your criminal history records from these governmental entities, and are often hired to do so. Sometimes these companies keep your criminal record in their private files.
Why You Should Seal or Expunge Criminal Records
You should seal or expunge your criminal record before it has chance to interfere with your goals at an inconvenient time. If you do not seal or expunge, an arrest or conviction can interfere with employment applications, rental applications, loan applications, school admissions, scholarship applications, professional and trade licenses, occupational and business licenses, membership in voluntary or charitable organizations, and even participation in your child’s school activities. It is important to seal or expunge your arrest or conviction before they become a problem.
Eligibility to Seal or Expunge
Not everyone is eligible to seal or expunge their record. You should investigate whether you are able to seal or expunge your record; and, if you are eligible, you should get your record sealed or expunged right away. Later events or changes in the law could make you ineligible to seal or expunge your record. It will be difficult to avoid disclosure of arrests or convictions once third party background check companies have your criminal history information in their databases. The longer your arrest record or conviction remains in the public domain, the more places it will appear, and the more difficult it will be to suppress your record. Remember, it sometimes takes some time to complete the seal and expunge process.
Call DeVoe Law Firm
DeVoe Law Firm has the knowledge and experience you need to seal and expunge your criminal record, including working knowledge and practical experience with:
- Criteria and eligibility requirements to seal and expunge arrests and convictions
- Procedure to seal and expunge arrests and convictions
- Applicable statutes, administrative rules, and caselaw regarding sealing and expunction
- Remedies if the government challenges your request to seal or expunge
Having an attorney on your side may help you:
- Get results faster than you would on your own
- Avoid having to go to court yourself
- Have peace of mind that your seal or expunge case is handled by a skilled professional
Call DeVoe Law Firm at 407-284-1620 to seal or expunge your arrest or criminal conviction.