How Can an Expungement Help Me Get a Job? (PC 1203.4)

In today’s economy, job-seekers need every advantage they can get. While you cannot control an employer’s decision to hire you, you can affect what influences them. Almost every employer will ask whether you have been convicted of a felony, some may also ask whether you have been convicted of a misdemeanor. A criminal record can be the deciding factor when an employer chooses between two candidates.

That said, you do not have to let a mistake follow you the rest of your life. The attorneys at Wallin & Klarich have helped people clean up their criminal record for the past 40 years. Our expungement attorneys can make the law work for you and give you a fresh start.

What is an Expungement in California?

Under Penal Code sections 1203.4 and 1203.4a, you are eligible to expunge certain types of convictions. As the Penal Code explains an expungement releases you “from all penalties and disabilities resulting from the offense.”

In an expungement proceeding, the court will reopen your case and replace a guilty verdict or no-contest plea, with a not guilty plea. The court then dismisses your case. This means several important things for you as you go on with your life:

• You may answer “no” when a job application asks if you were convicted of a crime. However, a government-related job or one requiring a government license, permit, certificate, or security clearance still requires disclosure.

• Your conviction cannot be used to impeach you or your credibility in a court of law.

• For felony convictions, expungements are often the first step in the pardon process.

An expungement will not actually seal your record. However, it will put you in a position to move on with your life, as it relates to future employment prospects.

Am I Eligible for an Expungement?

If you were granted probation in your felony or misdemeanor case, then your case falls under Penal Code section 1203.4. Under that section, you are eligible if:

• You completed all the terms of your probation successfully
• You are no longer on probation for this case
• You are not on probation or parole or serving a jail sentence on any case

If you were denied probation as part of a misdemeanor conviction or were convicted of an infraction, then your case is covered by Penal Code section 1203.4a. Under this section, we may still obtain an expungement for you if:

• You fulfilled all the terms of your sentence
• It has been one year since your conviction
• You are not on probation or parole or serving a jail sentence on any other case

Most felony or misdemeanor convictions can be expunged under PC 1203.4, except for some sex-related felonies such as rape of a minor, rape by force, sodomy, and lewd acts on a minor.

Contact a Wallin & Klarich Attorney Today

For the past 40 years, the California expungement attorneys at Wallin & Klarich have helped thousands of clients clean up their criminal record. We have offices in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Victorville, West Covina, Torrance, and Sherman Oaks, call us today at 877-4-NO-JAIL or 877-466-5245. We will be there when you call.