The right to bear arms is enshrined in the Bill of Rights. Many people in the Seattle area take their right to own guns for protection, hunting or recreation for granted. But if you have convictions for certain crimes on your record, the law says you cannot own or...
Protecting Your Future With Compassion And Understanding
Year: 2022
House passes bill to decriminalize marijuana, expunge prior convictions
So far, 18 states plus the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana, including Washington State. And 37 states have decriminalized cannabis at least for medicinal purposes. The national trend is toward treating legalization and away from punishing individuals for...
Tales of people who turned their lives around after expungement
If you have not had your criminal record expunged, it can be easy to be skeptical. Hearing how expungement dramatically changed other people's lives might show how powerful of a tool it can be under Washington state law. Even if you were charged decades ago, just...
A CROP may help you pursue a professional license
When you were young, having a lucrative and fulfilling career may have not been your primary concern. As an adult, though, a conviction from young adulthood may interfere with your ability to obtain a professional license. If you cannot work in your chosen field...
Is expunging your criminal record too expensive?
Dealing with the law in Washington State tends not to be cheap. To solve a legal problem, you are probably going to have to spend some money. If you look at these expenses as an investment in your future, the bills might not seem so onerous. This includes expunging...
Should automatic expungement go hand-in-hand with marijuana legalization?
Washington was one of the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational use. But it may be falling behind in another way: authorizing automatic expungement for past marijuana-related criminal convictions. Washington State does not currently have automatic...
Can I get my gun rights back with a Class A conviction?
In a previous post, we talked about who is eligible to apply for gun rights restoration after a criminal conviction in Washington State. To recap, after a certain number of years has passed from any serious criminal conviction, you can go to court and ask to get your...
Washington’s juvenile offense sealing procedure has changed in 2022
Parents in Normandy Park and the rest of the Seattle-Tacoma area who have a teen with a juvenile record are understandably eager to help their son or daughter get a fresh start. If you want to get a juvenile arrest or conviction wiped from your teenager's record, you...
What keeps people from pursuing expungement?
In this blog, we often discuss the expungement of criminal convictions and how getting your record expunged can feel like a second chance at living the life you want. But not everyone who is eligible to request an expungement actually does so. Over in Montana, voters...
Expunging vs. Sealing your Criminal Record: What’s the difference?
Expungement and record sealing seem pretty much the same at first. Both of them refer to shielding your criminal record from background checks. Both of them require you to go through a legal process, usually several years after you finish serving your sentence. And...