Your criminal record never really goes away, no matter how many years it's been since your court case ended.
Anyone with a credit card and $11 can run a background check on you. Potential employers, landlords, creditors, neighbors, even your friends and family can easily find out if you have a criminal past.
With a criminal record, you may have a hard time finding a job or securing a housing. If you're not a citizen, a criminal conviction can result in deportation.
We offer a wide range of post-conviction legal services.
Firearm Rights Restoration
You have a constitutional right to possess firearms, but that right is not absolute.
You lose your right to possess, use, purchase, or sell a firearm if you've been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. You also lose your rights if you've been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility.
Once you lose your firearm rights, they are gone forever unless you file a motion to restore them.
Expungement
Criminal convictions stay on your record forever, even juvenile convictions.
But if the court expunges, vacates, or seals your conviction, you can legally say that you were never convicted of that crime on a background check or employment application.
Withdrawing a Guilty Plea
Your guilty plea must be knowing, voluntary, and intelligent, and there must be a factual basis to support it.
But what happens if the judge or your attorney didn't properly advise you of the consequences of pleading guilty? Or pressured you into pleading guilty? You have a right to withdraw your plea and go to trial.
Sex Offender Registration Removal
Anyone convicted of a sex offense in Washington must register as a sex offender. As you can imagine, the requirement to register creates a devastating stigma that will likely result in loss of work, housing, or friends.
In some cases, you may only have to register for 10 to 15 years. But many cases, you have to register forever unless you can convince the court that you are no longer a danger to the community.
