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Will my criminal record stop me?

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Rich007

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? Michigan

Hello, im new to the boards.. I would like to know if my past criminal record will make a difference or stop me from haveing a future as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal ?

Im 33 years old, when I was 18 my friend snatched a purse and I was with him, I ended up getting an un-armed robbery felony. Then around 12 years ago I was caught in my cousins apartment durring a raid, I was charged with and convicted of possession 1/2 pound of weed in a drug free school zone (federal). Im going to try to get these things exponged were possible.. any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you -
 


moburkes

Senior Member
SETTING ASIDE CONVICTIONS (EXCERPT)
Act 213 of 1965


780.621 Application for order setting aside conviction; setting aside of certain convictions prohibited; time and contents of application; submitting application and fingerprints to department of state police; report; application fee; contest of application by attorney general or prosecuting attorney; notice to victim; affidavits and proofs; court order; definitions.

Sec. 1.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2), a person who is convicted of not more than 1 offense may file an application with the convicting court for the entry of an order setting aside the conviction.

(2) A person shall not apply to have set aside, and a judge shall not set aside, a conviction for a felony for which the maximum punishment is life imprisonment or an attempt to commit a felony for which the maximum punishment is life imprisonment, a conviction for a violation or attempted violation of section 520c, 520d, or 520g of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.520c, 750.520d, and 750.520g, or a conviction for a traffic offense.

(3) An application shall not be filed until at least 5 years following imposition of the sentence for the conviction that the applicant seeks to set aside or 5 years following completion of any term of imprisonment for that conviction, whichever occurs later.

(4) The application is invalid unless it contains the following information and is signed under oath by the person whose conviction is to be set aside:

(a) The full name and current address of the applicant.

(b) A certified record of the conviction that is to be set aside.

(c) A statement that the applicant has not been convicted of an offense other than the one sought to be set aside as a result of this application.

(d) A statement as to whether the applicant has previously filed an application to set aside this or any other conviction and, if so, the disposition of the application.

(e) A statement as to whether the applicant has any other criminal charge pending against him or her in any court in the United States or in any other country.

(f) A consent to the use of the nonpublic record created under section 3 to the extent authorized by section 3.

(5) The applicant shall submit a copy of the application and 2 complete sets of fingerprints to the department of state police. The department of state police shall compare those fingerprints with the records of the department, including the nonpublic record created under section 3, and shall forward a complete set of fingerprints to the federal bureau of investigation for a comparison with the records available to that agency. The department of state police shall report to the court in which the application is filed the information contained in the department's records with respect to any pending charges against the applicant, any record of conviction of the applicant, and the setting aside of any conviction of the applicant and shall report to the court any similar information obtained from the federal bureau of investigation. The court shall not act upon the application until the department of state police reports the information required by this subsection to the court.

(6) The copy of the application submitted to the department of state police under subsection (5) shall be accompanied by a fee of $50.00 payable to the state of Michigan which shall be used by the department of state police to defray the expenses incurred in processing the application.

(7) A copy of the application shall be served upon the attorney general and upon the office of the prosecuting attorney who prosecuted the crime, and an opportunity shall be given to the attorney general and to the prosecuting attorney to contest the application. If the conviction was for an assaultive crime or a serious misdemeanor, the prosecuting attorney shall notify the victim of the assaultive crime or serious misdemeanor of the application pursuant to section 22a or 77a of the crime victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.772a and 780.827a. The notice shall be by first-class mail to the victim's last known address. The victim has the right to appear at any proceeding under this act concerning that conviction and to make a written or oral statement.

(8) Upon the hearing of the application the court may require the filing of affidavits and the taking of proofs as it considers proper.

(9) If the court determines that the circumstances and behavior of the applicant from the date of the applicant's conviction to the filing of the application warrant setting aside the conviction and that setting aside the conviction is consistent with the public welfare, the court may enter an order setting aside the conviction. The setting aside of a conviction under this act is a privilege and conditional and is not a right.

(10) As used in this section:

(a) “Assaultive crime” means that term as defined in section 9a of chapter X of the code of criminal procedure, 1927 PA 175, MCL 770.9a.

(b) “Serious misdemeanor” means that term as defined in section 61 of the crime victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.811.

(c) “Victim” means that term as defined in section 2 of the crime victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.752.


History: 1965, Act 213, Imd. Eff. July 16, 1965 ;-- Am. 1982, Act 495, Eff. Mar. 30, 1983 ;-- Am. 1993, Act 342, Eff. May 1, 1994 ;-- Am. 1996, Act 573, Eff. Apr. 1, 1997 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 472, Eff. Oct. 1, 2002
********************

You've been convicted of 2 crimes, so you are not eligible for expungement.
 

Betty

Senior Member
You'll have to check & see if you can enroll in a legal asst./paralegal program in your state with your criminal history.
 

Rich007

Junior Member
Thanks for the feed back, would the fact that my 1 convviction being federal and the other a state conviction help? Maybee the state conviction could be looked at seperetly? Just curious, thanks for the info :)

And does anyone know the number or name of the agency or state office department I need to contact to ask about this matter?
 
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bj81

Member
Thanks for the feed back, would the fact that my 1 convviction being federal and the other a state conviction help? Maybee the state conviction could be looked at seperetly? Just curious, thanks for the info :)

And does anyone know the number or name of the agency or state office department I need to contact to ask about this matter?


Why would they charge you if you didn't do it?? Just curious as I wouldn't want that to happen to me if I accidently got caught with the wrong crowd that I didn't know was wrong.
 

Rich007

Junior Member
I was with him when he did it, we were originally going to do a beer run... he got the idea to do this without telling me, I should have stayed there and told the police what transpired but i was shocked so I told the victim sorry and just ran to the car and someone got my plate number. Being with someone is just like doing it.
 

bj81

Member
I was with him when he did it, we were originally going to do a beer run... he got the idea to do this without telling me, I should have stayed there and told the police what transpired but i was shocked so I told the victim sorry and just ran to the car and someone got my plate number. Being with someone is just like doing it.

Did you drive away when you got in your car?? Do you think you wouldn't of got anything if you had just stayed and told the police what happened??
 

Rich007

Junior Member
Yes I drove off, we were in my car.. but if I had stayed I could have told the police the person I was with did it and I was in no part of it.. therefore helping them catch this idiot and clear myself. I think back about how stupid I was for takeing the heat for this moron and it kills me. Yes, I know a beer run is illegal also but nothing compared to my charge, the beer run would have only been a misdemeanor offense.. :(
 

bj81

Member
Yes I drove off, we were in my car.. but if I had stayed I could have told the police the person I was with did it and I was in no part of it.. therefore helping them catch this idiot and clear myself. I think back about how stupid I was for takeing the heat for this moron and it kills me. Yes, I know a beer run is illegal also but nothing compared to my charge, the beer run would have only been a misdemeanor offense.. :(
When you said "beer run" I thought you were talking about going to a bar or buying some beers. I don't know what a "beer run" is as far as a crime but I hope you can work out the other stuff. Is the guy you were with still in jail??
 

quincy

Senior Member
Rich007 - Your criminal past should not prevent you from becoming a paralegal/legal assistant in Michigan. Google "Judge Greg Mathis" of Detroit. He had a lot more to overcome than you do, but he still graduated from law school and became a judge.
 

CourtClerk

Senior Member
Rich007 - Your criminal past should not prevent you from becoming a paralegal/legal assistant in Michigan. Google "Judge Greg Mathis" of Detroit. He had a lot more to overcome than you do, but he still graduated from law school and became a judge.
Although I tend to agree with you, it is my understanding that Judge Mathis had his legal issues as a juvenile... the OP committed his as an adult.

Best thing to do is contact the licensing bureau and be very candid about your history. See if this will affect you negatively or not.

However, I do wish you good luck.
 

Rich007

Junior Member
Thankyou to all who posted, I will call and see what they say. I will also post the response to help any others that may be considering this carreer path.
 

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