Having a criminal record makes life harder. It can impact your ability to find housing or a job, receive financial aid, and much more. Fortunately, the state of New York makes it possible to seal your criminal record, which makes your record unavailable to anyone except certain legal officials. Basically, once your record is sealed, it’s like you don’t have one at all.

When can I have my record sealed?

New York law imposes some conditions on people who want their records sealed. While records of arrests that don’t lead to a conviction or convictions for minor offenses are sealed automatically, sealing the record of more serious convictions involves a process. Convictions for a few major crimes, like murder, sexual misconduct, or arson, can’t be sealed.

However, if it’s been more than ten years since you were last convicted or incarcerated, you have fewer than two convictions on your record, and your convictions aren’t on the prohibited list, you can apply to seal your record. Even if you have more than two convictions, you might still be eligible to have your record sealed as long as the convictions weren’t based on more than two incidents. Both misdemeanor and felony convictions can be sealed.

What do I have to do to seal my record?

To seal your record, you have to submit an application to the court that presided over your conviction and the district attorney’s office that prosecuted you. The application must contain the Certificates of Disposition for your convictions and a list of reasons why the conviction should be sealed.

Should I hire a lawyer to help me seal my record?

It’s a very good idea to have a lawyer help you with this process. Record sealing isn’t automatic; the judge can summarily deny your application, and even if he doesn’t, there will be a hearing with the district attorney. Some district attorneys work hard to make sure criminal records don’t get sealed. They’re trained lawyers with a lot of experience, and you don’t want to face them alone. For the best chance at getting your record sealed, you should hire an attorney who’s an expert at having records sealed. We can advocate for you and make sure your arguments are strong enough to persuade the judge and the DA that you deserve to have your record sealed.

What happens when my record is sealed?

When your record is sealed, files related to your conviction only become available to certain legal authorities. That means employers, landlords, and lenders can’t see it, and you can get on with your life. Contact Rosenblum Law for a free consultation about record sealing.