When you have been charged with a crime, the most you hope for is to leave it in the past; forget it ever even happened. Unfortunately, this is much easier said than done. The general public can obtain your criminal record even if the case was dismissed or following a deferred adjudication. Your criminal history can destroy your ability to attain housing, work, loans and much more.
Many times individuals are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but regardless of whether you can obtain a dismissal, anyone doing a background check can find the criminal charge, leaving you with a permanent mark on an otherwise clean record. Unless you take proactive steps to erase your criminal history, the charge will always follow you. Finding an experienced, trusted attorney is critical to your success.
The state of Texas offers two different paths for clearing or sealing your criminal records: expunction and nondisclosure. Both methods involve their own often complicated eligibility requirements and processes. Defense Attorney Ed Jones has navigated the red tape involved in expunctions and nondisclosures and realizes what a clean record means to you. With knowledge, experience, and proven methods, he will do everything in his power to secure the result you desire.
An expunction is the complete obliteration of your criminal record. With an expunged record, you have the ability to deny that the arrest ever even happened. Any and all information associated with the charge is permanently erased from your history.
Unlike expunction, a nondisclosure does not completely clear your record, but rather seals it. A nondisclosure removes your record from public access and databases and restricts it from certain private parties. Government agencies, including law enforcement officials, however, are still able to see the information.
To request either expunction or nondisclosure, you must file a petition with the court which will then hold a hearing to decide if you are qualified to receive the order. Let DFW Attorney Ed Jones partner with you and help you fight for the result you need.
Call the Edward G. Jones Law Firm today for your initial consultation. The firm serves clients in Dallas, Fort Worth and the surrounding areas.