Questions about my record

What is the name of your state? This happened in TN although I now reside in NY and will be seeking the employment in NY.

In 2000 my husband and I were both charged with DV. We were brought down to the station, "booked", and then let go OR with no bail. When we went to the arraignment, we were told to get lawyers for our court appearance. So we did.

On the court date my lawyer said the charges would be dismissed if I went to anger management classes. No fine, just the classes. So of course I agreed, as did DH, and had the paperwork filed upon completion of the classes. We went to the classes and even went the extra step and went to much needed marraige counseling.

Fast forward to now. I am graduating nursing school and will be applying for jobs. I am not quite sure how to answer questions about being arrested. I am not sure what was on my record. At the time, I didn't think of approaching my lawyer about having my record expunged and I am assuming it's too late to do this now? I don't want a stupid mistake of my past to keep me from securing a job now.

This happened in Montgomery Cty in TN. Can I contact them to get copies of my record?

TIA

Call your lawyer and ask him what, exactly, was the outcome of your case. Ask him to fax/write you something that recites the exact outcome, with the case numbers, etc. so that you have a written reference of the outcome and the exact disposition under TN law.

Most employment applications will only ask if you have been convicted of a felony. Some might ask about misdemeanors. Thus, if the charges were dismissed, or if you were placed on some sort of deferred adjudication (meaning that the charges were dismissed after completion of the courses) the answer to that question is that you have not been convicted of either.

If you have to undergo a background check, the arrest may come up and you may be asked to explain it. I say maybe, because most employers specify that the background check only look for convictions.

However, I'm curious about the application for your nursing license. I'm not familiar with the application for a nursing license, but other licenses in NY require a more complete disclosure (when I applied for my NY bar license, I had to write an entire essay on why my driving record - which was admittedly horrendous - shouldn't disqualify me from the practice of law ). You may have to disclose it on your license application. Thus, it would be helpful to have a complete, accurate disclosure from your lawyer to refer to on the application.