"In today's world, many public and private sector employers conduct criminal background checks on current and prospective employees. In some cases, an arrest that did not result in a conviction or a questionable case that was plea bargained down can cause a qualified applicant to be denied an excellent employment opportunity. Expungement is a term used in Ohio to describe the sealing of arrest, court and/or criminal conviction records. There are two different types of expungement. The first type of expungement permits a person who has won their case by acquittal, dismissal, straight release, or grand jury no bill, to have their arrest and/or court records sealed. The second type gives most misdemeanor and some felony first offenders the ability to have their arrest and conviction court records sealed."
Michael C. Hennenberg
Cuyahoga County Criminal Defense Lawyer
Mr. Hennenberg aggressively fights for his clients' right to Expungement
Black's Law Dictionary defines "acquittal" as "the legal and formal certification of the innocence of a person who has been charged with crime; a deliverance or setting free a person from a charge of guilt; finding of not guilty."
Ohio Revised Code Section 2953.31(A) defines a "first offender" as, "anyone who has been convicted of an offense in this state or any other jurisdiction and who previously or subsequently has not been convicted of the same or a different offense in this state or any other jurisdiction..."
Michael C. Hennenberg is an Ohio criminal defense lawyer who has over 35 years of experience representing acquitted and first time offenders in Ohio courts in the expungement process. In Pepper Pike v. Doe, 66 Ohio St. 2d 374 (1981), Mr. Hennenberg was the first lawyer in Ohio's history to successfully argue in the Ohio Supreme Court that individuals who have won their criminal case have a constitutional privacy right to have their arrest and court records expunged.
The Expungement Process
During the Expungement process, Mr. Hennenberg will:
• Interview the applicant and double check court records to determine the individuals eligibility for expungement;
• Prepare and file an Application for Expungement in the appropriate court;
• Appear at all scheduled court appearances;
• Follow-up with the arresting law enforcement agency and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) when applicable, to ensure that your record has been sealed and no longer appears in law enforcement databases.
Contact Michael C. Hennenberg Today
For a consultation with an experienced criminal defense attorney to determine your eligibility for expungement, contact Michael C. Hennenberg.
