Orange County DUI Lawyer Blog

If you have been convicted of Driving Under the Influence and have successfully completed your probation and/or other requirements, you may be eligible to have your case expunged. This means that if the Court grants your request for expungement, the case is then dismissed.

Most straight-forward DUI's are misdemeanors and therefore eligible for expungement. There are some requirements however. You must have successfully completed your probation, without any probation violations along the way; any terms and conditions, fines and/or penalties imposed must have been paid and complied with and, you cannot have any charges currently pending.

Some of the typical terms and conditions of a DUI conviction are paying fines, attending an alcohol education program, performing community work, attending Mothers Against Drunk Driving Victim Impact Panel, Hospital and Morgue Programs, driver license suspension or restriction of the defendant’s California driving privileges. If you successfully complete these requirements, you are eligible to have your guilty plea withdrawn and the case dismissed. Be aware that this does not prevent the DA from using that conviction as a prior in the event of a future arrest and prosecution

If your conviction of DUI results in a Felony, then a good DUI Defense Attorney will seek to have the Felony Conviction reduced to a misdemeanor and then expunged.

There are many benefits to having your conviction of DUI expunged. 1. You can tell prospective employers that you have not been convicted of a crime; 2. You become eligible for some professional licenses; 3. You can apply for a change in immigrant status more confidently; and 4. Stop being afraid or embarrassed when someone does a background check on you.

Getting your DUI expunged can be the best decision you ever make. Having a clean record and the feeling of freedom from worry is a worth the investment.