Name: Expungement Lawyer Illinois, Xpunge Chicago
Telephone: 847-920-4540
Price range: 0 - 20,000,000
Rating: 5

If your criminal record keeps coming back to haunt you, there’s good news: You may be eligible for criminal record expungement or sealing. For most people, that means calling a South Side expungement lawyer who can determine eligibility (see “Am I Eligible for Expungement” for more information), explain the whole process, and file all the appropriate papers with the court.

But how does expungement work, and could you really clear your criminal record once and for all?

South Side Expungement Basics

When you have a criminal record, it can be tough to find a decent job or place to live. It can even be hard to get credit – but if you’re eligible for expungement or criminal record sealing, you could get the fresh start you need.

Criminal record expungement means that your records are destroyed or returned to you. Nobody will be able to see them because they’ll no longer exist. Sealing has a similar effect, but the agency that arrested you or processed you will still have them – and they’ll still be available to law enforcement, some employers (like those in the healthcare field and the military) and a handful of others. However, if your records are sealed, they won’t be available to the general public.

How it Works

When you talk to your criminal record expungement lawyer, he’ll ask for your entire criminal history. (If you don’t have it, that’s okay – you can either get it yourself or ask your lawyer to perform a background check to get it.)

Your lawyer will file paperwork with the court to request that they clear your record. If the court agrees, great – you’re on your way to that fresh start. Sometimes the court will require a hearing, and sometimes the state’s attorney will say that you don’t deserve to have your record cleared. If that happens, your South Side expungement attorney will represent you at the hearing and argue that you do deserve it.