California Expungement Attorney

Welcome

Attorney Scott Dicus, founder of QikLaw, is an experienced California expungement lawyer with a Five-Star Client Rating on TrustPilot and Yelp. Mr. Dicus has expunged over 1,000 criminal records throughout California. If you were convicted of a felony, misdemeanor, DUI or infraction in California and would like to move on with your life, it is important that you expunge your California record. Obtaining an expungement in California can be tricky, though the pay off in the end is great. An experienced California Expungement Attorney should have no problem handling your case, even if you no longer reside in California.

Once granted, an expungement essentially changes the disposition of the case to reflect a dismissal under Penal Code 1203.4. Meaning quite literally that the court file, the California Department of Justice, and the FBI update their files to reflect that a plea of not guilty has been entered and that the case has been ordered dismissed and set aside by the court.

California Penal Code Section 1203.4 provides in part:

“Petitioner shall be permitted by the court to withdraw his or her plea of guilty or plea of nolo contendere and enter a plea of not guilty; or, if he or she has been convicted after a plea of not guilty, the court shall set aside the verdict of guilty; and, in either case, the court shall thereupon dismiss the accusations or information against the defendant and except as noted below, he or she shall thereafter be released from all penalties and disabilities resulting from the offense of which he or she has been convicted.”

California expungement pricing is as follows:

*Prices do not include court filing fees. Fees vary from county to county and range from $0 – $150. For more information on filing fees for this service, please visit our Filing Fees page. Additionally, If you violated any of the terms of your probation there is an additional charge of $200.

Why Use This Service

There are a number of benefits to having your Califronia criminal record expunged. Most importantly, in an application for private employment you can truthfully answer that you have never been convicted of a crime (as long as all crimes that you have been convicted of have been expunged). Under current California law, private background check companies cannot report dismissed convictions, so once a case has been expunged, it should no longer show up on private background checks.

There are many other benefits of having your California criminal record expunged. This includes: assisting you in obtaining a state license, facilitating travel to Canada and other countries, helping you qualify for certain loans, and increasing the likelihood that you pass residential rental background checks. Perhaps most imporantly, an expungement will close the door on the past and help you move forward with your life.

After your California record is expunged, you will be eligible for our Criminal Record Database Update service and we can update your criminal record with over 600 different private background check companies. This will greatly increase the likelihood of passing future private employment background checks.

The Process

Attorney Scott Dicus will gather information about your case from a variety of sources.
Mr. Dicus will review your case and determine the most effective and most expeditious course of action.
In certain cases, a supporting declaration will be prepared for you to review and sign (this way it is not required that you go to court).
Mr. Dicus will prepare the petition along with all supporting exhibits and attachments.
A proposed order will be provided to the court.
The complete petition is filed with the appropriate court, a hearing is scheduled, and the prosecuting agencies are notified.
Mr. Dicus will follow up with the prosecuting agencies to determine if there is any opposition.
Mr. Dicus will attend the hearing to argue on your behalf and counter any opposition provided by the prosecuting agency’s attorney.
Our office will follow up with the court after the hearing to ensure that the clerk has processed the order and notified the Department of Justice.
Once the order granting your expungement has been signed by the judge, Mr. Dicus will obtain a copy of the order and provide you with evidence of the expungement for you to keep with your records.
Mr. Dicus will notify you of your eligiblity for our Criminal Record Database Update service, which we provide at a discounted rate for QikLaw clients.
Once the expungement has been granted, you can begin telling most potential employers that you have never been convicted of a crime.

* Note that because each case is unique and there are some procedural differences for each county in California your case may not follow our process outline exactly.

FAQs

How long does it take to expunge your record in California?

This depends on what county and court has jurisdiction over your case. In some counties, a case be expunged in 15-30 days. In other counties, the process can take up to three months. If you would like to know how long the process takes in the county of your conviction, do not hesitate to reach out to attorney Scott Dicus, as he is familiar with the nuances in every court in California.

Do you accept payments?

In most cases we do accept payments. However, all fees must be paid before the case is completed.

Why are court filing fees not included in your prices?

There are two reasons.

First, our firm does not include filing fees in our prices because many counties do not charge filing fees (other law firms don’t tell you this), and filing fees vary from county to county. It does not make sense to charge someone in Alameda or Riverside County (no filing fees) the same price as someone in Santa Clara County (filing fees are $150). Most of our competitors charge a flat rate, regardless of whether or not there are filing fees, and we do not believe this is fair to our clients.

Second, we do not include filing fees because many of our clients elect to file a request to have filing fees waived. If you are currently unemployed, or only working part-time, the court may determine that you do not need to pay any filing fees at all. This saves you money, and it is our goal to make the expungement process as painless and affordable as possible.

What happens after my California criminal record is expunged?

After the expungement is complete the court will change the disposition of the case to reflect a dismissal under 1203.4 of the Penal Code. The court clerk will then notify the California Department of Justice and the FBI and they will update their files to reflect a new plea of “not guilty” being entered and that the case has been ordered dismissed by the court. However, general commercial background searches, like most private employers conduct, will show no criminal record. At this point our office will send you a court order signed by a judge indicating that your record was expunged. We will also notify you of your eligiblity for our Criminal Record Database Update service, which we provide at a discounted rate for QikLaw clients.

What if my case gets denied?

Mr. Dicus personally reviews all cases and will only take a case if he believes that he will be able to obtain a favorable result. In the unlikely event that your case is denied, Mr. Dicus will evaluate the reason for the denial and determine the best way to proceed. If he determines that refiling is the best course of action then he will do so at no extra cost to you. If not, then you will receive your money back through our money back guarantee.

Cases

San Bernardino County, Fontana Courthouse: Successful Motion To End Probation Early After 20 Months Of 36 Month Probationary Term. Client’s Misdemeanor Conviction For Battery Was Expunged At The Same Hearing.

March 2014

Service:

California Expungement Attorney, Early Probation Termination – California, Misdemeanor Expungement

Metropolitan Court In Downtown Los Angeles – Successfully Expunged Two Separate DUI Cases From 2009 And A Driving On A Suspended License Case. LA City Attorney Strongly Objected, But All Three Petitions Were Granted.

March 2014

Service:

California Expungement Attorney, DUI Expungement, Misdemeanor Expungement

2005 Santa Clara County Embezzlement Felony Reduced To A Misdemeanor Over Prosecuting Attorney’s Objection

March 2014

Service:

California Expungement Attorney, Felony Expungement & Felony Reduction

2007 Trespassing Misdemeanor Expunged In Less Than Three Weeks At The North Justice Center In Orange County

March 2014

Service:

California Expungement Attorney, Misdemeanor Expungement

Orange County Residential Burglary Felony Expunged

March 2014

Service:

California Expungement Attorney, Felony Expungement & Felony Reduction

2011 Orange County Harbor Justice Center DUI Expunged Three Days After Probation Expired.

March 2014

Service:

California Expungement Attorney, DUI Expungement, Misdemeanor Expungement

Assault With A Deadly Weapon Felony Reduced To A Misdemeanor And Expunged At Norwalk Courthouse In Los Angeles County. Client Had Multiple Probation Violations.

March 2014

Service:

California Expungement Attorney, Felony Expungement & Felony Reduction

Contact Us

If you have questions about your particular case, do not hesitate to reach out to us directly. Attorney Scott Dicus will provide you with a free, no obligation consultation about your case.

If you would like assistance in determining which California expungement service is right for you, please use our California Expungement Eligibilty Test. If you already know what you are looking for, QikLaw offers the following California expungement services:

Call us directly at (877) 745-9091 for a free consultation with an attorney, or click “Get Started” to provide us with your contact information and we will contact you.