How it works
A first call, a plan in writing, and a hearing if there is one
You shouldn't need to know the process to start it. Here's what happens, in order, and what you do at each step.
Nothing is filed until you say go. Everything before that is reading your record and telling you what we find, in words you don't need a dictionary for.
You'll need
The county and rough year of each case
Any paperwork you have, if you have it
No paperwork is fine: we can get your record
Five steps
From first call to a signed order
- 01
Step 1: The first call, free
Fifteen minutes. You tell us what happened and where; we tell you whether it's worth pursuing and what it would cost.
- 02
Step 2: We get your record
From the state and the court, so we work from what's on file and not from memory. This is where forgotten cases turn up.
- 03
Step 3: Your plan, on paper
One page: what can be cleared, the earliest date, the fee and the court's costs. You decide what happens next.
- 04
Step 4: We file and prepare you
The petition, proof you've finished the sentence and a short statement in your own words. We tell you what the hearing will be like.
- 05
Step 5: The order, and what follows
When the judge signs, we send the order to the court's record keepers and to the report companies, and check that it took.
Fees
What it costs, written down
A flat fee for each case, quoted before you sign. It turns on how many cases there are and how many courts they sit in.
One case
A single conviction or arrest, from record to signed order, for one flat fee.
Getting and reading your full record
The petition and supporting papers
Going to the hearing with you
Sending the order to the record keepers
Two or three cases
Cases from the same county are filed together for one fee, with one plan and one hearing date where the court allows. It can be paid over several months.
A report that's still wrong
For a background report that is wrong or still shows a cleared case: we mark each error, send a dispute with the order attached and check the corrected report. Quoted on its own.
Court fees are set by the court and the state, change from time to time and are paid in addition to our fee; a court may let you ask to waive them, and we help with the form. The first call is free.
Afterward
What to expect once it's done
Keep the signed order somewhere safe. When an application asks about your record, we'll have told you in writing how to answer it, and where you still have to disclose it.
A record that was cleared can take a few weeks to disappear from the places that copied it. We check, and we tell you when it's done. If you ever find the old entry again, call. We'll send it back.
Fifteen minutes is enough to start
It takes fifteen minutes, and you can start with only the county and the year.