Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

do it yourself expungement?

One year ago I was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of petty theft (shoplifting) in Los Angeles. It is my first and only arrest, conviction, etc. My probation is officially over today. So now I would like to have my record expunged. However, I can't really afford to pay an attorney to do it as I was recently laid off. I looked at the California PETITION AND ORDER FOR EXPUNGEMENT form and it appears to be pretty simple. Given the circumstances I described above (i.e. first trouble with the law, misdemeanor petty theft conviction followed by successful completion of probation) is there any reason I shouldn't apply for expungement myself? What other info should I know about expungement?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.


Asked on 6/19/06, 9:15 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Lyle Johnson Bedi and Johnson Attorneys at Law

Re: do it yourself expungement?

contact the local probation office and ask about the process for expunging this conviction. The probation office should do it for a small administrative fee. This fee generally has to be paid even if the request is made by your attorney. The fee is probably less than $100, and you can always ask about a fee waiver. In Santa clara county it takes about 90 days after the a completed application is submitted, for the expungement to be granted.

Read more
Answered on 6/29/06, 1:17 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Criminal Law questions and answers in California