Knowledgeable Oklahoma City Lawyers Provide Assistance With Criminal Record Expungement

ACCOMPLISHED LAW FIRM HELPS CLIENTS CLEAR HISTORY OF CHARGES AND CONVICTIONS

A criminal record can carry a heavy stigma long after you’ve served your penalties. It may be all someone focuses on when reviewing your application for a job, apartment, education, loan or other status or benefit. At Zuhdi & Flynn, PLLC, our experienced attorneys help people in Oklahoma City and the surrounding counties to prepare and file expungement petitions in state court. We will thoroughly review your history and advise you on whether you meet the qualifications to have your criminal record erased from public view.

INFORMED ADVISORS WALK CLIENTS THROUGH EXPUNGEMENT REQUIREMENTS

Oklahoma allows expungements only for certain types of arrests and convictions. A violent felony crime cannot be removed from your record, no matter how long ago it occurred. However, you can seek an expungement in any of the following situations:

  • Section 18 — This is a provision of Oklahoma law that allows a person to expunge their entire record of a variety of misdemeanor and non-violent felony charges and convictions, as well as dropped charges, arrests that were not followed by charges, convictions that were overturned on appeal and pardons granted by the governor.
  • Crimes committed by someone who stole your identity — You may have an arrest or criminal record if someone committed a crime while impersonating you online or in-person. You can remove the other person’s actions from your record if you are able to prove your identity was stolen.
  • Crimes committed as a victim of human trafficking — A prostitution-related arrest, charge or conviction can be taken off your record if it occurred while you were a victim of human trafficking.
  • Protective order taken against you — You may be able to expunge a protective order as long as you were not accused, charged or convicted of disobeying it. The protective order must have either been cancelled three or more years ago or, if it was a temporary (ex parte) order, must have been denied, dismissed or withdrawn. You may also be able to expunge the record if the person who asked for the protective order has passed away.

EXPERIENCED ATTORNEYS EXPLAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SECTION 18 AND SECTION 991(C) EXPUNGEMENTS

Section 18 and Section 991(c) are common types of expungements. Section 18 applies to a broad range of situations, while Section 991(c) expungements are for more specific cases.

While a Section 18 expungement erases mentions of your arrest and conviction from the public record, a Section 991(c) expungement allows a person who received a deferred sentence to cancel their plea and to have their case record updated to state, “pled not guilty, case dismissed.” A Section 911(c) expungement will remove the record of the crime from public court records but the arrest will remain on your OSBI record, which is available to the public. So you may need to seek a Section 18 expungement to erase your arrest record.

Our lawyers can guide you through the steps needed for the type of expungement that fits your cases, providing informed guidance, responsive care and professionalism throughout.

Contact determined Oklahoma City attorneys for legal help with your expungement

You deserve to put your past behind you. For legal help with your Oklahoma expungement petition, contact the lawyers at Zuhdi & Flynn, PLLC in Oklahoma City. We offer a free initial consultation for new clients. To schedule yours, call us at 405-416-2711 or contact us online.