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Finally, Legal Help Without Huge Up-Front Fees!
You can typically hire an Unbundled Lawyer with only 20-25% of the total fee up-front, and then arrange an affordable payment plan from there.
In other words, provided that there is plenty of time to prepare for your case, and you have a steady income, you will NOT typically be required to pay thousands of dollars up front.
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Get started on your case for as low as 20-25% of the total fee.
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You can speak with your lawyer about setting up a payment plan that's tailored to your budget.
What Can a Criminal Lawyer Help You With?
Criminal lawyers can defend you from many types of criminal charges. From theft and drug-related crimes, to violent crimes and gun charges, DUI's and motor vehicle charges, and beyond.
Drug Charges
The potential consequences for drug charges can vary depending on whether you are being charged with possession or distribution, and your prior record. Criminal defense attorneys will gather the necessary evidence, represent you in court, and advocate for the best possible ruling in your case.
Violent Crimes
Violent crimes are important to defend against because these charges can stay on your record and affect your your employement and personal life for years. A criminal defense lawyer will gather the necessary facts and evidence to represent you in court and achieve the best result possible.
Firearm Charges
Firearm charges can lead to serious legal consequences, and can potential affect your ability to possess a firearm ever again. A lawyer can help advise you on the best path for a defense, protect your rights, and provide representation to fight for the best outcome in your case.
Infractions, Misdemeanors and Felonies
Having a lawyer who can advocate on your behalf, both in support of your rights, and in defending you based on the specific circumstances of your case, can lead to avoiding or reducing any charges you're facing.
Legal Help with Resolving Your Criminal Case
The criminal justice system is challenging to navigate and can bring serious consequences that can affect your freedom and livelihood for years to come. Having a criminal defense lawyer represent you and advocate on your behalf is critical to defending your rights and achieving the most favorable outcome in your case.
Your First Consultation is Free
Working with an Unbundled Lawyer could save you thousands of dollars. Since the consultation is free, and there is no obligation to hire the lawyer we connect you with, give it a try and find out how much you'll save on legal fees!
How Can a Criminal Lawyer Help You?
Here are some of the main advantages to hiring a private criminal lawyer to represent you, and what they can help you accomplish:
Avoiding Jail Time and Probation
Can save you from the stigma associated with a criminal record which may lead to better career opportunities.
Keep Your Record Clean
A lawyer may help keep your record clean. Depending on the circumstances of your case, they may be able to negotiate a plea bargain, which could result in the charges being reduced or dropped. They may also be able to argue for a more lenient sentence or argue for an alternative sentence, such as probation or community service.
Peace of Mind
When you are facing criminal charges, and your freedom is at risk, there is no better feeling than knowing you have an experienced criminal lawyer on your side. You'll sleep better, avoid unnecessary stress, and most likely end up with a much more favorable outcome.
Expunging Your Criminal History
You should know that an employer's use of your criminal history to make employment decisions may, in some instances, violate the prohibition against employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Employers have an obligation under the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) to ask your permission before doing a background search. Once search results are received, employers must provide a copy of their report back to you. That means you will know before a hiring decision is made whether an employer has done your background check. That is one good reason why you should consider strategies for how best to discuss your criminal records report if it is read by an employer or landlord.
Who Should Know About Expungement?
More than 70 million American adults have been involved with the criminal justice system. Each one inevitably confronts unanticipated obstacles when they apply for employment or housing after their case is closed. The burdens from having a criminal record can interfere with their opportunity for a successful future. There is good news for many who have an arrest or conviction record. It is called "expungement."
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Expungement is typically described like this: "An expungement removes arrests and/or convictions from a person's criminal record entirely as if they never happened." Sealing a criminal history record removes it from the general public view though it can be accessed by private parties if they get a court order. You can confirm if the state where you live offers citizens a way to "expunge" or seal the official record of their law enforcement experience. You can research the laws in your state online or contact a local attorney who specializes in privacy and similar issues. Some states permit sealing and expungement only for arrests, some for convictions, and others will expunge or seal both.
There is an ally for those seeking employment and housing searches without the burdens of a background search turning up their criminal history. That is the social justice movement that advocates new laws to prevent employers and landlords from using criminal courts information to deny applicants employment or housing. These are so-called "ban the box," and "clean slate" programs. They take their name from a box on applications for employment or home rentals that ask your permission to search your name and look at your criminal records.
How To Apply for Expungement
If colleges, government agency officials, bankers, and others (employers and landlords) discover you have any sort of record from a criminal justice system search, they may want to disqualify you from proceeding with loans or other benefits. You can then lose the opportunity for the public benefits or private sector services listed above. For that reason, everyone who may have a criminal history should consider taking advantage of the laws in their state that prevent anyone not authorized from accessing your criminal records from the courts. Those procedures vary from state to state.
Your state's laws will specify the types of arrest or conviction records that are eligible for expungement. States have strict procedures you must follow in applying for an expungement of those records. Some states use different terms for expungement like dismissal, set aside, expunction, etc.
States often distinguish between misdemeanors, felonies, arrests without convictions, and types of pleas in creating categories that can be expunged. There are always waiting periods after your case is resolved before you can apply for expungement based on the category of crime or record involved. Your petition for expungement should be filed with the court of jurisdiction for your original case. Filing fees can reach hundreds of dollars, although you may qualify for a fee waiver in some cases. When your petition for expungement is filed, the prosecutor may review the request and ask to file an opinion with the court. If your petition is approved, the judge issues the expungement and sends you the decision via mail.
What About the Internet?
After a judge's order to approve and seal or expunge your records, the order is sent to the court clerk's office. From there it is distributed to law enforcement agencies who seal or expunge those records that involve your name as specified in the order. Your records are then legally protected from public access in the court records. An expungement does not restrain private companies and individuals who are in the business of conducting background searches or who have databases that have captured your records before your expungement. They can and do still sell your data to third parties.
In today's world, everybody's personal information is often floating around somewhere on the internet, and it can become next to impossible to erase. That means your arrest or conviction history may have been swept up on some websites or in some criminal history databases that were subsequently sold to private companies. These businesses sell background search data to anyone who pays. If you find your records do exist in private hands, you may find an attorney's letterhead helpful to send to that company with a copy of your judge's order attached to the attorney's request that they remove your information. Some attorneys specialize in reputation protection and will discuss strategies that can defeat these private businesses if they do not respect the court's official expungement order protecting your records.
Many states do not require you to reveal a criminal history after expungement. But after expungement, you should not lie about your criminal history to any government agency, or for an application to purchase firearms for example. If asked by private parties about your criminal history, you do not have to acknowledge you have one.
Expungement Is About Having a Life
Every person who has been accused of a crime will want an opportunity to leave that experience in the past. If you have been caught up in the criminal justice system you may have been over-charged and advised to plead guilty to avoid the risks of a longer sentence. Every person who has a criminal record with a conviction is not always guilty of the crime. Even a person who is accused and subsequently arrested isn't always justified in having a criminal record. Everyone whose name is attached to a criminal record has one thing in common. They all want to keep that record from interfering with a successful and happy future for themselves and their loved ones.
The record of your involvement as an accused or convicted defendant in the criminal justice system should not have to impede your commitment to a successful and fulfilling life. Expungement of your criminal record can be an important part of that success.
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For over a decade, Unbundled Legal Help has connected over 2,000,000 people with lawyers in their area. Our lawyers provide unbundled legal services, which are typically a fraction of the upfront cost of a traditional retainer.
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