Expungement and Record Sealing Advice

Many states allow a felony to be removed from a person's record. Each state has their own procedure and eligibility requirements for expungement of convictions. Accordingly, I would need to know what state your conviction was to answer your question. In general, the process involves petitioning the court where you were convicted and demonstrating that you meet the legal requirements or standards necessary to have your record cleared.

If your conviction was in federal court, you cannot have your conviction expunged. However, some states, such as Arizona, will allow you to petition to have all of your civil rights and gun rights restored after a federal conviction.

Most counties have a public defender's or legal aid office that will file a petition for record clearance (expungement, vacating, setting-aside, sealing, or whatever it is called in your state) for free-- though most public defenders have a low-income requirement. They may also have packets on how to do it yourself. If you have financial means, I would highly recommend having an attorney handle it for you. There are law firms that specialize in record clearing; this one handles multiple states: http://www.recordgone.com. However, there are many others. If you are paying someone, just make sure they are licensed attorneys who have experience clearing records. Many attorneys will give a money back guarantee. Also, if you have convictions in multiple states, make sure your attorney understands the record clearing laws in both states because proceeding in the wrong order could cost you your eligibility in one of the states.

WARNING! Do NOT TRUST the following sites for ANY legal advice:
Expungement Assistance Sevices (www.clearmyrecord.com or www.removeit.org)
Criminal History Cleaners (www.criminalhistorycleaners.com)
Records Removal Services (www.recordsremoval.com)
Pardon Me Now (www.pardonmenow.com)

Truth About Pardons

On average, less than 1 in 50,000 pardons are graned in the U.S. It is free to apply for a pardon in most states. There is absolutely no need to waste your money having someone apply for your pardon. Do not trust anyone who is eager to take your money in return for helping you apply for a pardon. If you do decide to hire someone to help you, ask them how many pardons have they had granted in that state. Don't settle for a vague number. Also ask how many pardons are granted in that state each year. These numbers are published. You can download free pardon forms at http://www.recordgone.com/pardons.htm