Expungement Process in Michigan: Six Steps to a Fresh Start

Alexander S. Rusek
Foster Swift Business & Tax Law News

As we look to 2023, many are looking to right the wrongs of the past year, learn from their mistakes and leave their past behind. This statement rings true for some more than others. Expungement is legal jargon for the process of “setting aside” a criminal conviction and wiping it from one’s record.
What does this mean and why is it important? A criminal conviction can have a long-lasting negative impact on a person’s life as it will show up in background checks and can lead to difficulty finding employment, enrolling in school or applying for a loan.

Just remember that you’re not who you were and past mistakes shouldn’t hold you back from having a brighter future. Foster Swift litigation attorneys have put together the following six steps below to give you an idea of the expungement process going forward.

STEP 1: Contact Foster Swift to learn whether or not you qualify to have your conviction expunged/set aside. Retaining Foster Swift to represent you is a great first step towards the fresh start you deserve and your attorney will be able to guide you through what can be a complicated expungement process.

STEP 2: Gather documents and other information requested by your Foster Swift attorney and prepare for your meeting with your attorney.

STEP 3: Meet with your attorney and/or attorney’s legal assistant (in-person or virtually from anywhere) to prepare your application.

STEP 4: Your attorney prepares your application and submits the application to the Court, the Michigan State Police, and the Michigan Attorney General.

STEP 5: Prepare for your hearing with your attorney. Your attorney will be able to answer any questions you have about the process and what to expect at your expungement hearing.

STEP 6: Attend the expungement hearing with your attorney. If the judge agrees to set aside your conviction(s), your Foster Swift attorney will handle the paperwork needed to finalize your expungement.