Criminal Defense Attorney Helping People With Expungements in Maryland
Through the use of the Internet and certain agencies it is now easy for anyone to obtain the most personal information about anyone else. You can pay for someone's credit history, employment records and even his or her criminal record. Employers use this information when making decisions about job offers; insurance companies analyze this information when determining rates; and this information can even affect the granting of a housing application.
Located in Salisbury and Ocean City, Maryland, the MacDonald Law Office can help you have a record sealing application or a record expungement request granted to prevent your criminal record from being used by these parties and others in the public and private domain. We are here to help you protect your future and make sure you are not penalized for your past. To learn more about our expungement practice, please contact us today to schedule a free consultation with our experienced criminal defense lawyers.
It is important to have a skilled and experienced criminal defense attorney review your record and advise you about whether or not your record can be expunged. Our lawyers are former prosecutors who can properly evaluate the disposition of your case and what parts of your record may be able to be expunged. We can advise you about your chances and the expungement process for all of the following:
- Arrests where you were never formally charged
- Probation before judgment
- Stet docket proceedings where you may have complied with certain conditions of a stet (DUI alcohol treatment, rehab or education, anger management, community service, etc.) and your case was set aside for a time and then dismissed because you fulfilled the terms
- Trial that results in an acquittal or hung jury where you were never retried
- Charges that were otherwise dismissed or not prosecuted
- Plea bargain involving a guilty plea
- Convictions
Not every type of charge or conviction can be expunged. Likewise, there are certain waiting periods you must fulfill before seeking an expungement for certain types of dispositions, such as generally there is a three-year waiting period for a stet docket offense that was later dismissed. We can advise you as to what requirements there are and your chances of being successful if you do decide to seek an expungement.
Although in most cases an expungement does not result in your record completely being destroyed or erased, it can mean that the record is sealed and moved out of the publicly searchable databases. This may help you avoid having these records used by parties such as potential employers. We can counsel you about how to properly deal with these situations whether your expungement is granted or not.
Your records and your privacy are your business and you have a right to protect them. We can help you with this process. Contact us today to learn more about expungements and our criminal defense practice during a free confidential consultation.
