Clarksville Expungement Attorney

Clearing your criminal record: Expungements in Clarksville

Expungement is a legal term describing the process involved with legally destroying or striking out records and information stored in files, on computers and in repositories relating to criminal charges. Once a criminal record has been expunged it is not generally available for review by private or public entities seeking to determine employment eligibility, certification qualifications, licensing and registration. There are a few circumstances wherein an expunged record may still be available for viewing, such as when an individual is seeking employment or certification in a particularly sensitive field, as a law enforcement officer, in order to work with children or the elderly, or others.

Under Tennessee state law, public records of individuals charged with misdemeanors or felonies can be expunged providing a proper petition has been filed and one of the following qualifications have been met:

• The charge(s) has been dismissed
• A grand jury returned a "no true bill" meaning no criminal case will ensue
• A verdict of not guilty was returned
• The individual was released without being officially charged
• A nolle prosequi order was entered indicating the prosecutor decided to discontinue filing criminal charges

Individuals who have been convicted of a criminal offense or charge are not entitled to the expungement of such public case records. Certain records, which are maintained as confidential records for law enforcement purposes only, such as arrest histories, intelligence information, investigative reports, etc. are not considered as public records and cannot be expunged. This also applies to records held by the Department of Children's Services and the Department of Human Services, which are held in the strictest confidence as per state and federal law, and are required to be maintained.

If you or a loved one has questions about expungement of your criminal record or wish to get your record expunged, you need to contact a Clarksville expungement attorney at Jeff Grimes and Associates today. The attorneys at the firm have in-depth knowledge and experience dealing with getting charges expunged off clients' records. They understand how important expungement can be to your future, so take the time to thoroughly evaluate your case in order to advise you of your legal rights and options available to you.

Expungement Lawyer Serving Clarksville

The attorneys at the firm represent clients in the Clarksville and Montgomery County, Tennessee areas. Attorney Jeff Grimes, Attorney Colleen Hyder and the other attorneys at the firm have years of experience and success in getting public records expunged. Due to the fact that the firm handles personal injury and family law cases, in addition to criminal defense cases, they will be able to advise and represent you on expungement issues relating to any of those areas.

If you have questions about or wish to get your public record expunged, contact a Clarksville expungement attorney at the firm to schedule your confidential consultation today .