Expungement

Many people have something in their past. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and they get arrested or charged for a offense due to a one time mistake and a criminal record is created. That record exists forever, even if you are arrested and never charged with any offense. However, you don’t have to let a criminal record exist where everyone, including employers and the general public, may access them. That is why the legislature created a way to expunge and seal the records of the arrest and court proceedings. A Petition to Expunge and Seal an arrest record will force the courthouse and police agencies to remove all records of the arrest from their official files.

The process requires strict adherence to procedures in filing a Petition to Expunge and Seal and serve the proper notice on all the parties including the city attorney and arresting agency among others. Additionally, you must wait until the required time period has passed. These rules can be complicated and terms used by the courts are not always understood well by the general public. There are also time concerns as expungements do not happen quickly, with the Illinois State Police taking up to 120 working days to respond.

To make sure your expungement is granted by the courts, call for a consultation with the lawyers of ADDY, BUSH AND ASSOCIATES, P.C. to review your record. We can examine your record and help you determine whether you are eligible for an expungement or sealing of your records and when you qualify to file a petition and then walk you through the process step by step.