New Jersey Expungement Lawyers

For many, an expungement could serve as a key to reentry into society – an opportunity to shed the stigma of previous involvement in the criminal justice system, whether a conviction or even just an arrest.

Unexpunged records consistently deprive people once involved in the criminal justice system of the opportunity to pursue their chosen careers, whether denied a job following a background check or prevented from obtaining a professional license, or even simply to find employment that allows them to provide for their families.  Unexpunged records can also prevent an otherwise appropriate candidate from obtaining a Firearms Purchaser Identification Card.

Over the course of the past several years, the New Jersey Legislature has overhauled the expungement statutes in an effort to open up pathways for people who have been ineligible for expungement in the past.  Thus, even if you were told that you were ineligible for expungement, that may no longer be the case. The current law allows for an expungement petition six years after a criminal sentence or the expiration of the actual sentence - whichever is later.

The New Jersey expungement law states in detail who is eligible for an expungement.  You should review the current applicable provisions of N.J.S.A. 2C:52-1 through N.J.S.A. 2C:52-32 to determine if you are eligible.  If eligible you must prepare and file a Petition for Expungement.  The Petition for Expungement must be filed in the Superior Court in the county where you were arrested or prosecuted as an adult or taken into custody or adjudicated as a juvenile.  A judge then decides whether you should be granted an Expungement Order.

Whether you have been convicted of a serious crime, a misdemeanor, a municipal ordinance, was subject to Pre-Trial Intervention or a conditional discharge, or simply had your charges dismissed, whether you were a juvenile or an adult, Galantucci & Patuto, Esqs. has the experience and knowledge to advise you as to your eligibility for expungement, as we have for hundreds, if not thousands, of clients over the years.  If eligible, we will file a petition on your behalf and make the necessary court appearances in order to fight for your record to be cleared, making you free to pursue your future without the burden of the past.