This one is something I take pride in but it’s a personal thing. When I represented people for criminal cases, every time we won a case, they were found not guilty, I went immediately to go get their records expunged. That was my training as a prosecutor. And I remember, any of these young men that I represented, African American men with their futures in front of them, we win the case, I will go and clean up their record…not for an additional charge. Just as you hired me, this is a benefit you’re going to get. You may not even appreciate it now, but when you’re going to look for a job, they say, ‘Do you have criminal records?’, you might be shaking in your boots but your record is clean. It’s something I did for everybody once the case was over and it was eligible, it was part of the routine. Half of my clients didn’t understand what I was doing, but I just did it anyway. So one time I was doing it and a defense attorney who knew me as a prosecutor was passing by and saw what I was doing, stopped my client who was sitting beside me, and told my client, “Your lawyer is very good! Do you know what they’re doing?! They’re cleaning your record. You better thank her!” And this young guy was like, “Uh…what are you talking about?” That was the personal part. If you were fortunate to hire me and you won your criminal case, your record was going to be clean, if I could do it.
So that’s not something that’s standard? Not every lawyer will do that.
No. If you request, they will do it. They might even have an additional charge, but it’s not part of what you hired them for. But me, without requesting, if I saw you were eligible, we are leaving the courtroom, going straight to the clerk’s office, and I’m filing that expungement! You will need it!
That’s major! And it’s interesting because he obviously didn’t know that that was even something that could be done or should be done, right? So think of all of the people who don’t have lawyers like you, who wouldn’t even think to request it. And like you said, that’s their future!
Their future for apartments, for jobs…
Yup, so many things!
This client was young. I think he was like 18 or 19. Young boy! So he definitely had no clue. But yeah, he [the defense attorney] knowing that we were in the courtroom, saw what I was doing, came over, and was like, “You should THANK her!” That’s a personal pride for me because I knew this is something that, if you hire me, you don’t even have to ask for and I didn’t charge extra for it. So, that’s a proud moment.
Shout out to you! Seriously!