Atlantic County Criminal Record Expungement Lawyer

A criminal arrest record and conviction stays on your record forever – unless you take action to get it removed. A criminal record can affect your ability to secure employment, your application for financial aid, your voting privileges, and your right to own a firearm. If you’ve paid your debt to society, you deserve a chance to move on with your life and not have to face the damage caused by a lifelong criminal record.

Thankfully, the State of New Jersey allows for most criminal records to be expunged. This means that the record of your arrest and conviction can be wiped clean. However, the criminal record expungement process is incredibly complex and often requires the assistance of qualified legal counsel.

The Law Offices of John W. Tumelty is a well-respected law firm headed by an criminal defense attorney who understands the nuances of expungement law in NJ. Attorney John Tumelty is a former prosecutor who now represents clients in municipal courts and superior courts throughout South Jersey, including Cape May and Atlantic counties. If you were arrested or convicted of a crime in Atlantic City or anywhere else in New Jersey, let Mr. Tumelty help you wipe your record clean.

How Can You Get Your Criminal Record Expunged?

The expungement process in New Jersey is extremely complicated. The first thing you should do is hire an experienced attorney to help you file an expungement petition with a superior court judge. The process takes a great deal of time and requires an excessive amount of paperwork. Your attorney will need to obtain a full criminal record abstract. Your attorney might also need to speak with police and law enforcement agencies in order to get the information needed for your expungement petition, which must be served to all appropriate agencies and departments. Additionally, if you miss even one filing deadline, you can lose the ability to have your criminal record expunged. Once you the file the petition, a hearing will be scheduled within 60 days.

Your eligibility for an expungement hearing depends on a number of factors:

• Only NJ criminal records can be expunged in New Jersey. If your arrest or conviction occurred in a different state, you will need to seek an expungement in that state.
• Since motor vehicle violations and DWI convictions are not considered criminal offenses in the State of New Jersey, they cannot be expunged.
• The number of convictions on your record can affect your ability to seek an expungement. If you have been convicted of a felony-level offense or two disorderly persons offenses since the original incident, you will not be able to seek an expungement.
• Certain crimes can never be expunged under any circumstances. These include homicide/murder, robbery, arson, kidnapping, criminal restraint, false imprisonment, luring or enticing, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated sexual contact, criminal sexual contact, human trafficking, endangering the welfare of a child (sexual conduct), selling or manufacturing child pornography and perjury.

Experienced Attorney Assists with the Process of Criminal Record Expungements in Atlantic and Cape May Counties

An experienced criminal defense attorney can get an arrest or conviction expunged from your permanent record and help you move forward with your life. Once your criminal record has been expunged, you will be legally allowed to respond to questions about your past by saying that you’ve never been arrested or convicted of a crime. This is particularly important on job applications.

John W. Tumelty has over 35 years of experience as a defense attorney and a former prosecutor. He offers comprehensive assistance to clients who have been charged with criminal offenses in New Jersey. If you were arrested for a criminal offense or convicted of a crime, Mr. Tumelty is prepared to guide you through the expungement process so that you can emerge with a clean record. Call or email today to schedule a free consultation at one of Mr. Tumelty’s office locations in Marmora or Somers Point, New Jersey.