Salt Lake City Expungement Lawyer

Compassionate Salt Lake City, UT Attorney for Expungements and Sealing Criminal Records

Moving on with your life after serving a criminal sentence is not always easy. Often, people who have been convicted of misdemeanor and felony offenses face obstacles in housing and employment, despite having already paid their debt to society. If you are looking to get a fresh start, an expungement attorney in Salt Lake County can explore your options to expunge or seal your criminal record.

A skilled attorney can help determine whether you are eligible for expungement and guide you through the legal process of clearing your record. At Salt City Defense, we can support your petition with qualified legal advice and strong representation, clarifying any questions you may have.

Who Is Eligible for Expungement?

To be considered for expungement in the state of Utah, you must meet certain requirements. You cannot have any pending charges against you, and you must have paid off any legal fees or restitution you owed from the case you want expunged. Additionally, you cannot be on probation, parole, or in the middle of a plea of abeyance.

Utah's Clean Slate law allows for many misdemeanor convictions to be cleared from your record, including DUI offenses. However, there may be a lengthy waiting period before you can petition to have a conviction removed, ranging from three to five years for most misdemeanor convictions.

Additionally, many felony convictions are eligible for expungement after a seven-year waiting period, though your petition may be denied if you have multiple felony convictions on your record. At Salt City Defense, we can review your case and give you a realistic assessment of your options.

Obstacles to Expungement

Certain convictions are not eligible for expungement, including:

• First-degree felonies
• Violent felonies such as arson, aggravated assault, or stalking
• Registrable sex offenses such as rape or sexual exploitation of a minor
• Aggravated murder

If you have an offense that is not eligible for expungement, you may still have a legal recourse by seeking a pardon. As part of this process, you will have to submit a petition to the Utah Board of Pardons demonstrating that you have reformed yourself as an exemplary citizen.

In general, the Board will only consider pardons after five years have passed since your last encounter with the law. You will also have to supply a copy of your criminal record and fill out all of the required forms, which our firm can assist with. To secure a pardon, you will also have to make an appearance at a hearing where any victims of the offense you want pardoned can testify.

Other Considerations

Aside from convictions, you should know that arrests will also appear on your criminal record. However, if you were acquitted or your case was dismissed, you could apply for an automatic expungement, which will clear your criminal record from public access.

If you committed an offense as a juvenile, do not assume that it will be automatically expunged after you turn 18. You will have to manually petition the court and attend a hearing, where the court will see if your case meets all the requirements for expungement. If it has not yet been a year since your juvenile case has ended, or you have a pending misdemeanor or felony charge against you, your petition could be denied.

Contact a Salt Lake City, Utah Expungement Lawyer Today

Getting an expungement can be a laborious process, but you do not have to do it alone. At Salt City Defense, our criminal law attorney can see if you are eligible for expungement and pursue the best course of action on your behalf. For a free consultation, call our offices at 919-744-6471 or contact us online today.