The Bucks County Community College Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks, 1304 Veterans Highway, Bristol, is offering a free criminal expungement clinic under the supervision of attorneys from Legal Aid of Southeastern PA on Saturday, April 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
During the clinic, BCCC paralegal students will assist people in determining if they are eligible to have prior arrests or convictions expunged or sealed from their records. Legal Aid has assisted over 1,000 people per year in conjunction with schools and is now partnering with Bucks County Community College.
All information shared with attorneys and paralegals is confidential. The clinic will try to accommodate walk-ins; advance registration is preferred. The registration deadline is April 21. To register for the clinic, email legalstudies@bucks.edu.
Some convictions cannot be expunged but may be sealed so that they are not of public record. Paralegals may not practice law or otherwise provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law.
The clinic is for individuals who:
– Have arrests without convictions; or
– Have misdemeanor convictions, without new convictions, over 10 years old; or
– Are over 70 years old, and their conviction is at least 10 years old; or
– Passed away three years ago, and posthumous expungement is sought
Individuals must have paid all fines due and completed any probation to qualify for expungement. In some instances, certain convictions cannot be expunged and will remain on the record. However, these same convictions could be sealed from the general public.
The clinic may need to refer some individuals to other legal organizations due to the location of the individuals’ criminal records, such as Philadelphia and/or outside of Pennsylvania.
For more information, email the address above or leave a message at 215-968-8247.
The paralegal degree and certificate at Bucks County Community College qualify students to serve as paralegals. Coursework is designed to impart knowledge and expertise of legal concepts, the legal system, and substantive and procedural law that will qualify students to perform work of a legal nature, under supervision, which is customarily but not exclusively, performed by a lawyer. Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law. The Bucks County Community College paralegal programs are approved by the American Bar Association. Learn more at bucks.edu/business.
