Please note: the information contained below is
not intended to be legal advice and may not apply in all cases or situations,
it does not establish a client-attorney relationship, and is intended ONLY to
be used as a guideline of some of the possible considerations.
After a conviction, most people want to forget about such a
difficult time in their lives and move forward. Unfortunately,
employers take prior convictions very seriously. In these competitive
economic times, cleaning up your record is more important than ever.
In ,
there are several considerations for record clearance. The first consideration with a felony
conviction is to determine whether charges can be reduced to
misdemeanors. Many felonies can be so reduced pursuant to Penal Code
Section 17(b). Once a conviction is reduced from a felony to a
misdemeanor, the conviction is treated as a misdemeanor for all purposes.
If granted probation, most convictions can be dismissed pursuant to Penal
Code Section 1203.4. Such a dismissal allows you--in most situations--to
tell employers that you do NOT have a criminal conviction on your record.
If you obtain a dismissal pursuant to Penal Code 1203.4 and a preset period of
time has passed, you may be able to obtain a Certificate of Rehabilitation
pursuant to Penal Code Section 4852.01. There are many advantages to
obtaining such relief. Most notable is the ability to be relieved of the duty to register as a sex
offender for certain offenses.
Michael Chastaine has successfully obtained 1203.4 dismissals and the
granting of Certificates of Rehabilitation in Sacramento, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Placer and Plumas counties.
If you think you might be eligible, give Michael Chastaine a call. Michael Chastaine does excellent work for reasonable prices.