Is it worth expunging a mistameaner dui? Its been20 yrs since i recieved it. I have a spotless record since.

A friend of mine unexpectedly changed careers recently, and as a result, had to pass an extensive background check. He had neglected to get a couple of 20 year old DUI convictions expunged, as there wasn't much need prior to the career change. Consequently, the transition to the new career was much bumpier that necessary and caused him an undue amount of stress during an already stressful time. So, if a possible career change might be in your future, I would suggest pursuing the expungement.

In my opinion, it wouldn't be worth it. Things like that are good in short term (as in, shortly after probation terminates). If its been 20 yrs and you have a clean record since, it's likely that the conviction isn't having any kind of negative impact on you anyway. Otherwise, you likely would have tried to do it sooner. Also, an expungement won't remove the conviction from your record. It will simply annotate it, indicating the case was dismissed pursuant to PC 1203.4. However, in most situations, you will be able to deny any conviction.

Given the fact that the DUI has been 20 years old I would recommend against the expungement. Yes it will cost you money. The court will charge you as well as an attorney if you choose to hire one. Unless this old DUI has recently caused you trouble there really is no need to get it expunged. To answer some of your questions an expungement assists you if you need to apply for a job it allows you to claim you have never been convicted of a crime (this is not the case if applying for a government job). Additionally it would appear as a dismissal rather than a conviction. What it does not do is alter anything on the DMV records. Feel free to call my office if you want a further explanation. Robert Driessen