In clearing a client’s record in London Ontario and outside of London, it is generally referred to as expungement, other terms with the same meaning are removal of records or destruction of records. Before attempting to clear a record it is crucial the criminal lawyer that is hired possesses key skills to be able to effectively convince the judge to clear the client’s record.
The skill set of a criminal lawyer that can aid in clearing one’s record can include integrity, negotiation skills, persuasiveness, perseverance, communication, interpersonal relations with police and research capability.
Essentially, clearing a client’s record is done by asking the court to erase a conviction from a client’s permanent record. This procedure will result in the courts and law enforcement to have limited to no access to past criminal convictions or charges of the client at hand. The criteria in clearing a record is as follows.
First, if the client is on probation a record can only be cleared if the client has completed their probation, have abided by all court orders and no new charges exist. Secondly, if the client is not on probation their record can be cleared if one year has passed since the judgement, all laws have been obeyed in accordance with the judgement and there are no new charges against the client.
Crimes that may not be cleared from a client’s record include the majority of traffic infractions, the majority of sex-related crimes and all felony convictions. The upside to having a client’s record expunged means greater opportunity for employment, volunteerism and even travel destinations across borders and overseas. In order for a criminal lawyer to help clear your record the following guidelines should be followed by not only the criminal lawyer but the client as well.
The first is transparency by means of two-way communication. In order to clear a client’s record various protocols and rules must be obeyed by the client. The lawyer must accurately communicate these rules to the client and the client must correctly interpret these rules while asking direct questions if any confusion arises.
Following-up between both the client and criminal lawyer is another crucial component in helping the expungement process. For instance, if any changes are made or legislative adjustments formed the criminal lawyer must follow-up with the client to ensure they acknowledge the new criteria and abide by it. Furthermore, following-up ensures both the lawyer and client are kept informed where the lawyer is updated on the client’s behaviour and the client is updated on or reminded of the rules that must be followed as well as having any additional questions answered by the lawyer.
By obeying the following guidelines, the chances of a client’s record being expunged greatly increases. A client must be mindful that choosing a competent criminal lawyer who has experience with record expungements as well as possessing the necessary skills for successful record clearing remains a very important factor. By adopting the following guidelines, a client can gain fruitful opportunities for employment and other essential positions in society that were previously unavailable.
