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Las Vegas Record Sealing Attorneys

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No one should have to pay for a mistake forever. In the State of Nevada, you can usually have your criminal records sealed after a specified time. This keeps arrests, criminal charges, convictions, and sentencing information out of background checks for employment, housing, loans, etc., and allows you to answer “No” on applications and in interviews that ask about a criminal record.

The dedicated attorneys of Adras & Altig have extensive record-sealing experience in Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada. It is a complex procedure with multiple hurdles, but if you qualify, we can get it done for you. Once the court orders your record sealed in Nevada, what was on it is considered to have never happened. So your life could get better instantly.

Schedule a free consultation to discuss your criminal record and how we can stop it from holding you back. We pride ourselves on being responsive to our client’s real-world needs — not just law book theory. Our Las Vegas record-sealing attorneys will act quickly to determine your right to a clean slate. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.

Our Attorneys Do All the Legwork for Sealing Nevada Criminal Records

There are several steps to obtaining a court order to seal criminal records in Nevada. They must be followed accurately, or time and money spent on the task are wasted.

Among the documents, you must obtain and submit for record sealing are the following:

  • Criminal history from the Nevada Criminal History Central Repository.
  • Current, verified copy of your criminal history (SCOPE printout) to seal records. SCOPE is the Shared Computer Operations for Protection and Enforcement system, the online records system used by local law enforcement agencies, such as the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in Clark County.
  • Any additional records that may exist on microfiche or another physical form.
  • Signed petition for the order to seal your records.
  • Signed order from a judge ordering records sealed.
  • A signed affidavit attesting to the authenticity of the documents above.

In Las Vegas (Clark County), the district attorney’s (DA) office has specific requirements for original documents and copies to be submitted, the wording of your petition and what information it must contain, and even the order in which documents should be presented when submitted.

Our record-sealing attorneys will ensure these strict guidelines are met when submitting your paperwork.

The DA approves or denies petitions for records to be sealed. Once the DA supports the order, our attorneys will submit it to the Clerk of Court for a judge to sign.

If the district attorney’s office denies a petition, an explanation will accompany your returned paperwork. Then, you can either correct/change the paperwork as advised and resubmit to the district attorney’s office or petition the court for a hearing before a judge. If you obtain a hearing, you must notify the DA’s office.

A person whose petition is denied must wait two years to petition for a rehearing. However, the law also states: “No person may petition for more than two rehearings.” That’s why it’s crucial to have a knowledgeable attorney handling your case.

Although the State of Nevada’s intention to allow citizens to have their criminal records sealed is progressive, the actual process is complex, as most legal matters are. A single step or requirement that is misunderstood or missed can derail an application.

For example, for each crime on your record, your record sealing petition must list:

  • Date of Arrest
  • Arresting Agency, such as Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Nevada Highway Patrol, School
  • Police, Nevada Gaming Authority, State Contractor’s Board, etc.
  • Case Number
  • Charge
  • Final Outcome/Result/Disposition

This information will come from your SCOPE report. But deciphering a SCOPE printout can be complicated because the SCOPE system uses abbreviations in its data fields.

In addition, although Nevada law allows for sealing criminal records, it is not an absolute right. Your petition is subject to a judge’s discretion once it gets beyond the district attorney’s office. Don’t risk a simple mistake that prolongs or upends the process.

The skilled and experienced Las Vegas record-sealing lawyers at Adras & Altig will pursue every procedural avenue available through Nevada laws on your behalf.

Do You Qualify to Have Your Criminal Records Sealed?

Under Nevada law, you may petition the court to have your records sealed for a:

  • Category A felony ─ 10 years after completing your sentence (release from actual custody or discharge from parole or probation, whichever occurs later)
  • Category B, C, or D felony ─ 5 years after completing your sentence
  • Class E felony or any gross misdemeanor ─ 2 years after completing your sentence
  • Misdemeanor DUI (Drugs or Alcohol) ─ 7 years from the release date from actual custody or when the person is no longer under a suspended sentence, whichever occurs later.
  • Misdemeanor Battery Domestic Violence ─ 7 years from the date of release from actual custody or from the date when the person is no longer under a suspended sentence, whichever occurs later.
  • Misdemeanor (Battery, Harassment, Stalking, or Temporary/Extended Order of Protection) ─ 2 years from the date of release from actual custody or when the person is no longer under a suspended sentence, whichever occurs later.
  • Lesser misdemeanor ─ 1 year from the release date from actual custody or when the person is no longer under a suspended sentence, whichever occurs later.

Category A felonies include first-degree murder and other crimes punishable by death or life in prison. Robbery and assault with a deadly weapon are Category B felonies, and possession of a controlled substance is an example of a Class E felony.

When you apply for your records to be sealed, you must have completed all requirements of your sentence and not face any new criminal charges (other than a minor traffic ticket). If you received a Dishonorable Discharge from probation, you might not be able to have your records sealed.

You cannot seal records relating to a conviction for a:

  • Crime against a child
  • Sexual offense
  • DUIs and Commercial DUIs in Work Zones/Pedestrian Zones
  • DUI Death or Substantial Bodily Harm; and,
  • DUI Homicide (murder) while driving a motor vehicle or vessel (boat, watercraft) while under the influence (DUI)

If you are unsure about what is on your record, the crime category from long ago, or anything else about your public criminal record, our law firm can answer your questions quickly and determine the best course of action for post-conviction relief.

Many Las Vegas residents have petty, misdemeanor crimes on their records that continue to be an embarrassment and a problem that must be explained. Others have worked hard to turn their lives around, but they run into prospective employers and others bound by rules or prejudice that stop them once a criminal record is revealed.

You deserve a second chance at a clean slate. Contact us today to learn about sealing your criminal record in Las Vegas. 

Call us now at
(702) 385-7227
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Why Should You Seal Your Criminal Records?

In theory, anyone can search for and review your record if you have been arrested and charged with a crime. In most cases, arrests, court proceedings, criminal convictions, fines, and prison sentences are public records — even if you are ultimately found not guilty, or charges are dropped.

With records online, background checks are so easy that prospective employers, schools, mortgage companies, and others look at applicants’ records far more often than they used to.

A criminal record can stop you from getting a job, federal student loans, welfare, rent-subsidized housing, and other benefits and opportunities.

If you are like tens of thousands of Nevadans with a criminal record, you may benefit from Nevada having one of the most progressive record-sealing laws in the nation.

Nevada law adopted in 2017 shortens the required time before a person’s records can be sealed, making it easier to seal all records in Nevada.

 

Let Our Las Vegas Record Sealing Lawyers Help You

Don’t let a past mistake or an arrest that amounted to nothing continue to cause you harm. Talk to our knowledgeable Las Vegas record-sealing lawyers today to learn how we can help you end the stigma associated with your past. We have licensed attorneys who fully understand the law and how it is applied, not paralegals completing forms for you.

Schedule a free consultation to evaluate your record and the opportunity Nevada law grants you for sealing the past. Then, we can begin the work to make life better for you today.