Expungement/Sealing
A criminal record can cause serious problems in your personal and professional life. If you have ever been arrested, you likely have a criminal record that is readily accessible to the public, even if you were never found guilty of the crime. This means that your employer, prospective employer, friends and family all have the ability to see your criminal past. This is true even if the case was dismissed, you were placed on court supervision, or if you were found not guilty. Background checks are used frequently by prospective employers, former spouses (i.e. custody disputes), or by educational institutions. Our expungement attorneys may be able to help give you a clean slate.
There are two methods our attorneys use to help clear your criminal record in Illinois: expungement and sealing. Despite what you may have heard, neither expungement nor sealing happens automatically. Once you are arrested, you will likely have an arrest record regardless of the final disposition. A petition for expungement must be filed and a court order expunging or sealing your record must be obtained.
Expungement and sealing laws are complex and the process can be confusing. Every county in Illinois has a different set of rules and guidelines that must be followed. Hiring an experienced expungement attorney is highly recommended.
The first step in the process is obtaining a copy of your entire criminal record. Our office needs to review any and all arrests in your past in order to determine if we can help. This means we need information on ALL of your cases, even arrests that were dismissed in court. This information should include type of charge, case number, courthouse information, arresting police department, final disposition (i.e. dismissal, not-guilty, guilty, etc.), sentence (i.e. supervision, conditional discharge, probation, etc.), and termination date of sentence. We may need to order your records from the Illinois State Police, the county circuit clerk's office(s), and/or the arresting police department(s). Our office can collect the necessary information at additional expense.
The Law Offices of Davis & LaScola can evaluate your record and determine if it qualifies for expungement or sealing. Our office regularly practices out of Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County, McHenry County, Will County and Kane County. Answers to frequently asked questions about expungement and sealing in Illinois can be found here. Contact us so we can help clear your criminal record and give you a fresh start.