Miami Criminal Attorney Discusses the Sealing and Expunging of Florida Criminal Records
Our clients are constantly asking us about sealing or expunging their Florida criminal records. When asked, we're always happy to tell our clients about the numerous benefits of having one's criminal record sealed or expunged. But inevitably, someone will say to us, "Why should I bother? After all, you got my case dismissed!"
Well, it may come as a surprise to some people, but every Florida criminal arrest becomes a visible part of your Florida criminal record... even if the court withholds adjudication (the conviction)... or even if your case is outright dismissed! So remember that drug charge or grand theft charge that you were mistakenly arrested for? Every potential employer will see it on your criminal record and you will have to explain it away over and over and over again. But that's just part of the story. A criminal arrest can also potentially cause you problems in education, finance, housing, and in other situations where a Florida criminal background check is done.
If you qualify, sealing or expunging a criminal arrest record, which includes all court, police, and State Attorney records, is a low cost way of improving your life. Once a court grants your petition to seal or expunge your Florida criminal arrest record, it will no longer be available as a visible public record as it will be sealed or expunged. In addition, if you successfully seal or expunge a Florida criminal record, you will actually gain the legal right to "deny or fail to acknowledge" anything having to do with the arrest and/or the subsequent legal proceedings!
We here at Pensky & Kim, P.A., the publishers of the Miami Criminal Lawyer Blog, have had much experience and success in sealing and expunging Florida criminal arrest records for our clients. It something we highly recommend to our clients because the benefits of sealing and expunging are simply too good to pass up. Although we generally focus our practice on Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, we have handled sealings and expungements throughout Florida. So no matter where you are located, we can skillfully guide you through what can be a tedious and sometimes confusing legal process, and will ensure that your sealing or expunging gets done correctly and as quickly as possible. In most situations, you won't even need to appear in court. Give us a call and let us put your past where it belongs... in the past!
Please know, however, that there are very strict guidelines for determining who does and does not qualify for having their Florida criminal record sealed or expunged. For example, any criminal conviction... no matter how minor... and no matter how old... will automatically preclude you from sealing or expunging any part of your Florida criminal record. Even a withhold of adjudication may disqualify you depending on the type of charge. The full set of rules is too lengthy for this post. However, if you are interested in sealing or expunging your criminal record, simply give us at (305) 571-9800 for a free consultation and to see if you are eligible, or check out our Florida seal or expunge lawyer website for more information.
