Illinois law allows you to expunge certain felonies from your record. If your case doesn’t qualify for expungement, you may be able to seal it as most felonies and misdemeanors are eligible for sealing.  The law is the same regardless of which county your case concluded. When you expunge your record, it gets destroyed. When you seal a record, it gets hidden from the public, landlords, and almost all employers. You can expunge your felony record in Illinois if you were sentenced to TASC Probation, 410/710/1410 Probation, Second Chance Probation, or received a Governor’s Pardon. For the purposes of expungement, these types of probation are referred to as “Qualified Probation.”  They all allow you to finish your case without a conviction. The waiting period is five years after completing your probation before you can file for Expungement.  In almost all cases, there will be a Court hearing where you have to prove to the judge that you are a good c...

If the crime you committed is eligible, you may be able to seal or expunge your criminal conviction. The difference under Illinois law between sealing and expunging is that expunged records are destroyed while sealed records are retained but are not available to the general public.   The question that I’m often asked is, who will be able to see my record after it is sealed? It depends if (a) the case is a misdemeanor or felony, and (b) who wants to see your record.  First and foremost, the general public, landlords, and employers not required by law to do finger-print based background checks can not see sealed convictions regardless if they are felonies or misdemeanors. For all felony and misdemeanor cases, the following have access to the criminal record:  Illinois State Police; Department of Corrections if convicted of another offense; Courts;  Prosecutors carrying out with their duties; and  State’s Attorneys.  For felony cases only,...

If you were convicted of a crime in Illinois, you may be able to seal the criminal record. The procedure around having a criminal record sealed is complicated and having the right attorney on your side can make all the difference in your case. With extensive experience, Attorney John D. Ioakimidis understands the nuances of this area of law. Recognized as one of the “10 Best Attorney for Client Satisfaction” by the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys, you can trust you are in good hands at his firm. In the state of Illinois, having your criminal record expunged is different from having it sealed. To have your record expunged means that the record is physically destroyed by the agencies and government bodies holding it or the hard copies of the record get returned to the petitioner. When a criminal record is expunged, it does not show up in any public record. To have your record sealed, on the other hand, means that the records will not be available to the public w...