An expungement lawyer is someone who will help you in sealing or expunging an arrest record that has been sealed by a lower court as well as sealing a criminal misdemeanor or felony charge that has been expunged. In other words, they will help you get the records sealed so that they can no longer appear on your driving record or criminal record. This law was enacted by the Freedom of Information Act to allow people who have been convicted of crime to have their records expunged. There are several reasons that a record may be expunged, including the fact that the crime did not occur in front of the person's eyes, or the crime was committed by a peace officer acting in an official capacity.

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While many states will now automatically expunge crimes from a person's driving record if those laws have been implemented, there are still some states that will require a waiting period before you can apply for expungement. States such as Arizona will require a waiting period of three years before you can apply and will only expunge crimes of which you are truly innocent. However, waiting periods can be extremely burdensome for those who are already in a lot of debt and need to pay off certain debts in order to stay afloat. It is for these individuals that waiting periods are set in place in order to make sure that they are able to pay off their debts without breaking the law.

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An expungement lawyer is also very useful in sealing traffic violations. These include driving under the influence (DUI) convictions, reckless driving, and traffic citations that have not been properly disposed of by your state's courts. A DUI expungement lawyer can check with your state's motor vehicle department to see if your tickets were properly disposed of. They will also be able to advise you whether your conviction can be expunged, and if so, how. If your state does not automatically expunge traffic violations, your expungement lawyer can help file for an expungement on your behalf.