Legal Question in Criminal Law in Texas

Re: Need Advice

Depending on the offense, Texas allows those under a deferred adjudication to file a Motion for Non-disclosure with the court. If granted, it will then help seal the records from the general public, however there are some classes that may be able to view this (for example judges, hospitals etc but it is a small group). From the moment of filing the hearing is ususally scheduled plus about 2 weeks, depending on the courts docket.

Re: Need Advice

There are two routes, which may or may not be available to you. If no attorney on this board is in your county, contact the local bar association for a referral. Pay an attorney at least for a consultation. Take all of your papers with you, and ask him/her for guidance if options are open for you. Ideally, you should hire the attorney to prepare case if the option is available. There are lots of good lawyers out there who will accept payment plans in some cases. If you absolutely cannot, then the attorney can give you some guidance on proceeding pro se.

Expunction is one route, but the rules have been tightened, and is probably not an option.

Sealing the records is another option, and might be available to you. It is a process, where the information remains available to law enforcement, but not the general public.