Chicago Expungement Lawyer

About Expungement and Record Sealing in Chicago

Expungement and the sealing of your record are both means to limit access to your criminal record. This is of great importance when one is working to start a new path in life, gain employment or simply move on from the past. There is a significant difference between the two actions. Expungement means a complete destruction of the record. If the record is sealed, on the other hand, this means the record stays in existence and can only be accessed in extremely limited circumstances.

A sealed record remains confidential and can only be seen under certain law enforcement conditions or in the case of potential future sentencing. The general public, such as employers, would not have access. It is more difficult to get a record expunged but it certainly can be done in some cases. A review of the case and of your recent history should be done by a qualified Chicago expungement attorney to evaluate what can be done. This is an area of legal practice that we at the Law Offices of Howard J. Wise & Associates have long been happy to assist our clients with. Helping you begin or continue with a new chapter in life is of great satisfaction to each Chicago criminal attorney at our firm.

Will I qualify for expungement?

While not a "cut-and-dried" issue it certainly is possible in many cases. The State of Illinois allows for one's record to be destroyed under a number of qualifying circumstances, such as:

• If you were found not guilty or if the State dismissed the charges
• In the case of certain misdemeanors that resulted in being sentenced to supervision, it is possible if more than five years have passed since the end of supervision and there has been no record of an arrest or criminal charges since that point
• The same general guidelines would apply to successful termination of probation following certain misdemeanors with no further instances of criminal charges, arrests or current charges pending

There are other circumstances as well, such as being released without a conviction following a supervision sentencing or a pardon by the Governor authorizing expungement. All of these have qualifications and require a very exact examination of many facts in order to make a qualified determination.

To best understand if a record sealing or expungement is possible, you should contact a Chicago expungement lawyer at our offices for an honest and straightforward review of the facts and options.