FAQ'S OF THE EXPUNGEMENT PROCESS

Will expungement of my California criminal records erase and destroy the court's file?

No. The California court file, the California Department of Justice, and the FBI update the files and show the case has been ordered dismissed by the California court under Penal Code Section 1203.4

If granted an expungement, do I have to disclose my California criminal record?

If a private employer asks if you have been convicted of a crime, you can say no. However, if you are applying for public office, applying for a state license (real estate, doctor, lawyer, stock broker, etc.), or contracting with the California State Lottery, you must disclose the conviction. However, it can be disclosed as an expunged conviction in California.

When I was in Court, I pled "no contest" rather than "guilty". Because I did that, doesn't that mean I can say I have never been convicted of a crime?

No. In California a plea of "no contest" is the same as "guilty"; both types of pleas in California courts are considered criminal convictions and must be disclosed on employment applications when directly asked.

Will I be able to own or possess a firearm if my previous conviction prohibits that?

An expungement, or clearing of your criminal record in California, has no effect on your right to own or possess a firearm. An expungement in this type of case will not help and will not hurt.

What are some other things an expungement will not do?

Even if you have cleared your criminal record in California and have been granted an expungement, a Court can still use a prior conviction to enhance a new sentence for any new crime. (An example of this would be under California's Three-Strike Law.)

In addition, if you are a registered sex offender, an expungement in California will not relieve you of your duty to register as required by California law.

In addition, clearing your criminal record with an expungement in California does not mean that the court file is destroyed. Instead, in your California case your conviction is marked as "dismissed in the interest of justice pursuant to Penal Code Section 1203.4.) What this means is that your plea of "guilty" or "no contest" is withdrawn, then the court will enter a plea of "not guilty" on your behalf, and the charges you were charged with will be dismissed pursuant to Penal Code Section 1203.4.

Who qualifies for expungement in California?

We must first examine if the case is a misdemeanor or a felony. For misdemeanors, you qualify if you meet the following criteria:

1. You successfully completed your probation period, or if no probation was granted, it has been at least 365 days since you entered your plea of guilty, and
2. You have paid all of your fines and restitution as required by the court, and
3. You currently do not have a new criminal case pending and you are not on probation for any other offenses.

If you meet these conditions, in most cases we can expunge your misdemeanor conviction and clear your criminal record. For more information, see Southern California Misdemeanor Expungement.

For felonies, as long as you were granted probation, the same rules as above apply that would apply in misdemeanor cases.

However, if you suffered a felony conviction and were not granted probation, you will have to see if your felony conviction qualifies to be reduced to a misdemeanor. See next question.

Can I get my felony reduced to a misdemeanor?

Yes. In California this is possible depending upon the charge you were charged with. In many cases, our California Expungement law firm can completely get your felony expunged. Your conviction must be for a "wobbler", meaning it is a crime that can be charged as either a felony or misdemeanor. Our law firm would then have a California Expungement attorney request the court to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor, then apply to the court to have the misdemeanor expunged, thereby completely expunging your felony record.

How do I know if my felony conviction was for a "wobbler"?

Take a few moments and fill out our free, confidential case evaluation and a California Expungement attorney will contact you to see if we can clear your felony criminal record.

If your California Expungement law firm is able to expunge my felony or misdemeanor conviction, will I receive some sort of official documentation showing that?

Yes. The Courts in California, whether it is Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Southern California or San Diego County will provide you with a signed court order showing that the conviction has been set aside or sealed. The original court order will be placed in your court file and becomes public record.

How much do you charge to expunge my case in California and clear my criminal record?

Each case is unique. However, many Expungement cases cost as little as $650.00 for all fees, including court costs. Take a moment to fill out our free California Expungement case evaluation and one of our experienced Expungement attorneys will call or email you.

Our Expungement Attorneys and Lawyers can Clear your Criminal Record and get you an Expungement in the following cities and counties in Southern California:

Los Angeles County, Clear Criminal Record - Expungement Attorney Lawyer
Agoura Hills, Alhambra, Angeles Vista, Artesia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bellflower, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Carson, Cerritos, Chatsworth, Claremont, Commerce, Compton, Covina, Culver City, Downtown LA, Downey, Eagle Rock, El Monte, El Segundo, Flintridge, Gardena, Glendale, Glendora, Granada Hills, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Hidden Hills, Hollywood, Industry, Inglewood, Irwindale, La Canada, La Crescenta, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, La Puente, La Verne, Lakewood, Lancaster, Lenox, Little Rock, Lomita, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Los Nietos, Lynwood, Manhattan Beach, Marina Del Rey, Monterey Park, Montrose, Northridge, Norwalk, Palmdale, Palos Verdes Estates, Paramount, Pearl Blossom, Pico Rivera, Pomona, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Reseda, Rolling Hills Estates, San Fernando, San Gabriel, Santa Clarita, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Monica, Signal Hills, Temple City, Torrance, Van Nuys, Ventura County, Verdugo City, Viewpark, Walnut, West Covina, West Hollywood, Westlake Village, Whittier and surrounding areas

San Diego County, Clear Criminal Record - Expungement Attorney Lawyer
Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Coronado, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, Imperial Beach, La Costa, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Mission Valley, Oceanside, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, San Diego, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach, Vista and surrounding areas

Orange County, Clear Criminal Record - Expungement Attorney Lawyer
Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Balboa Island, Brea, Buena Park, Capistrano Beach, Corona Del Mar, Costa Mesa, Coto de Caza, Cowan Heights, Cypress, Dana Point, El Modena, El Toro, El Toro Marine Base, Foothill Ranch, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Leisure World, Lemon Heights, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Modjeska Canyon, Newport Beach, Orange, OC, Orange Park Acres, Placentia, Rancho San Margarita, Rossmoor, San Clemente, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Silverado Canyon, Stanton, Sunset Beach, Surfside, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, Yorba Linda and surround areas

Riverside County, Clear Criminal Record - Expungement Attorney Lawyer
Aguanga, Anza, Arlington, Calimesa, Casa Blanca, Cherry Valley, Corona, Corona Hills, Edgemont, El Cerrito, Gilman, Glen Avon, Glenn Valley, Hemet, High Grove, Home Gardens, Homeland, Hot Springs, Idyllwild, La Sierra, Lake View, Mead Valley, Meadow Brook, Mira Loma, Riverside, Moreno, Mt. Lanter, Murrieta, Norco, Nuevo, Pedley, Perris, Quail Valley, Southern California, Rodea, Romoland, Sage, San Jacinto, Santa Ana Canyon, Soboba, Sun City, Temecula, Temescal Canyon, Vail Lake, Valle Vista, Wildomar Lake, Winchester and surrounding areas

Santa Barbara County, Clear Criminal Record - Expungement Attorney Lawyer
Buellton, Carpentaria, Goleta, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Solvang, San Luis Obispo and surrounding areas

San Bernardino County, Clear Criminal Record - Expungement Attorney Lawyer
Adelanto, Angeles Oaks, Apple Valley, Bloomington, Chino, Chino Hills, Colton, El Mirage, Etiwanda, Forest Falls, Grand Terrace, Helendale, Hesperia, Highland, Loma Linda, Lucerne Valley, Mentone, Montclair, Ontario, Oro Grande, Phelan, Pinon Hills, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto, San Bernardino City, Victorville, Wrightwood, Yucaipa and surrounding areas.

California Expungent Lawyer - California Expungement Attorney

Clear Criminal Record in California