If you’ve considered withdrawing your guilty plea in a California criminal case and learned that you can’t, there still may be options available to clean up your record through the process of expungement or post-conviction relief. A knowledgeable California lawyer from The Kavinoky Law Firm is ready to review your case and help you to understand your options.

Expungement is one option commonly used to clean up a California criminal record. It was once possible to have a California criminal conviction expunged just by completing certain requirements, but state law now requires that you have a court hearing to review your petition for expungement.

The requirements for expungement are fairly straightforward – you must have served your sentence completely, including the payment of all fines and fees. You must have completed probation, although if you are still on probation the court may grant early termination. You cannot have another criminal case pending.

Although expungement is only an option for misdemeanor convictions, it may be possible to ask the court to reduce certain felony convictions to misdemeanors, which then makes them eligible for expungement.

Once your California criminal conviction is expunged, it’s as if it never occurred at all with certain exceptions. You must disclose your conviction in certain situations such as applications for law-enforcement jobs. You’ll still be subject to any applicable federal firearm restrictions.

If your California criminal conviction cannot be expunged, there may be other options available to you such as a direct application for pardon, sealing and destruction of records, or a certificate of rehabilitation and pardon.

Clearing up your California criminal record can open doors to employment, education and other opportunities, and finally allow you to close the book on an unfortunate chapter of your past and get a fresh start. To learn more about your post-conviction relief options in your California criminal case, please contact a qualified attorney from The Kavinoky Law Firm today for a free consultation.