Expungement Attorney in Williamson County, Texas – Williamson County Experienced Lawyers Expunging Your Record

If you have a criminal record, chances are that you have experienced the frustration of being refused certain employment, having had your rental application denied or been turned down by the school you hoped to attend. It is difficult for anyone with a criminal record, and especially someone with a felony conviction, to be fully reintegrated into society and to enjoy the same opportunities available to most everyone else.

An expungement provides a second chance for those individuals who have completed their probation and not served any state prison time. The expungement process can be difficult and exasperating in some cases and it may often take reasoned arguments by an experienced expungement lawyer along with supporting documentation to get you the relief you want. Our expert expungement attorneys have the real life experience you will need to have your conviction set aside and your records cleared or made inaccessible to the general public. Do it right the first time and you will save valuable time and money and have the satisfaction of once again having a chance for a brighter future.

There are other options available to you for post-conviction relief that an attorney from the Expungement Law Group can advise you on if applicable to your case including record sealing, early termination of probation, reduction of a felony to a misdemeanor, obtaining a Certificate of Rehabilitation and Governor’s Pardon along with expungement.

Expunging Your Conviction

Expungement in Williamson County, Texas does not mean the destruction of your records since law enforcement and the courts will retain these records to be used under certain circumstances. It does, though, enable the court to reopen your case and dismiss your conviction provided certain conditions have been met. Our attorneys will retrieve your records containing your conviction, sentencing and release from probation dates before filing a 1203. 4 or 1203.4a Petition with the court where your plea or conviction was obtained. All applicable documents are filed and served on the court, district attorney and probation department. A hearing date is set. If there is no opposition, then no court appearance is generally required.

Some infraction, misdemeanor, felony offenses can be expunged including:

• Drug possession and other drug related crimes
• Marijuana possession
• Domestic violence
• Theft
• Burglary
• Robbery
• DUI, DWI, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Prostitution & Sex Crimes
• Indecent exposure
• Stolen property offenses, petty theft, shoplifting
• Assault, assault with a deadly weapon, battery
• And much more... Please call 1-888-754-9877 to find out if you qualify.

Post-Conviction Relief

There are a number of post-conviction options available to you that can enable you to have a second chance and enjoy the opportunities denied you because of your criminal record. These include the following:

• Misdemeanor Expungement

Infractions, misdemeanors and felonies can be expunged provided you only received probation and did not serve any state prison time. Also, your offense cannot have involved a sexual crime involving a minor. In some cases, even if you violated your probation, you may still be able to receive an expungement order. An expungement effectively dismisses your conviction and allows you to lawfully state under oath on most employment, rental housing and school applications that you have never been convicted of a crime.

• Felony Expungement

As indicated, a felony can be expunged so long as you did not serve any state prison time and you have completed all the terms and provisions of your probation. If you did serve time in state prison, your other option is a Certificate of Rehabilitation. You may have to wait at least 7 years before applying but you are automatically eligible for a Governor’s Pardon and it does allow you to now apply for state and vocational licenses for which you were previously prohibited.

• Early Probation Termination

Many probation periods are 3 or 5 years. Regardless of how long, though, after you have successfully served at least half of it, you may apply for early termination. An expungement lawyer from our office can prepare your request and obtain letters of support or evidence of rehabilitation along with a statement as to why you should be granted early termination. Once it is granted, we can begin the expungement process.

• Reducing Your Felony to a Misdemeanor

In many instances, a felony can be later reduced to a misdemeanor pursuant to Penal Code Section 17(B). This would include those offenses considered “wobblers” wherein the district attorney has the discretion to charge you with either a felony or misdemeanor. Reducing your conviction to a misdemeanor restores your right to possess and own firearms for example and can eliminate potential immigration problems. It can also ease and expedite the expungement process. An expungement attorney from our office can offer this service to you as part of our representation.

• Record Sealing

Another form of post-conviction relief pertains to sealing your arrest records or juvenile and drug diversion records. Arrest records may be sealed provided charges were either dismissed or you were never prosecuted. Under Williamson County, Texas Penal Code Section 858.1, your arrest records may be sealed and not publicly accessible but only if a court determines that no reasonable cause exists to believe that you committed the offense for which you were charged. Prosecutors have discretion whether to charge you though there may be evidence that seemingly appears sufficient to link you to the crime. If a judge feels that there was probable or “reasonable” cause to believe you committed the crime regardless if you were charged, then your arrest records may not be sealed. An expungement attorney from the Expungement Law Group will review the facts of your arrest and advise you whether they meet the standard for sealing.

Juvenile records are often not available to the general public but it is worthwhile to have them sealed nonetheless to avoid any potential problems you may encounter as an adult. You must be at least 18 years old, or the juvenile court’s jurisdiction ended at least 5 years earlier, did not commit any crimes involving moral turpitude and have no pending criminal charges, and you present evidence of rehabilitation.

Drug diversion is available usually for first time offenders charged with possession. Once you successfully complete all terms and conditions in the diversion program, you can petition the court to have your arrest and other records sealed.

Contact Us to Get Started

An expungement lawyer from our office is available to discuss your case at no charge for an initial consultation. You can call us to discuss your case or schedule an appointment where we can determine which form of post-conviction relief may be available to you. Once you retain us, we will work quickly and diligently to get your documents filed and served and to get your life back on track towards a better future for you and your family.

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About Williamson County

Williamson County (sometimes abbreviated as "Wilco" or "wilson") is a county in the U.S. state of Texas located on both the Edwards Plateau to the west, consisting of rocky terrain and hills, and Texas Blackland Prairies in the east consisting of rich, fertile farming land. The two areas are roughly bisected by Interstate 35. It is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area and included with Austin in the Best Cities to Live in for 2009 by the Milken Institute The 2010 census population for the county is 422,679, a 69.1% increase from the 2000 figure. Its county seat is Georgetown. The county is named for Robert McAlpin Williamson (1806?–1859), a community leader and veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto. He was also affectionately known as "Three Legged Willie" due to a childhood illness that withered his right leg which he pulled up behind this thigh and upon which he also wore a wooden leg extension.

The eastern portion of Williamson County lies within the low-lying prairie areas east of the Balcones Escarpment (the escarpment is also known locally as the Balcones Fault) although it is not an active fault. It is an area which is made up of the Blackland Prairie consisting of rich, fertile, clay-like soils where the land is still used for agriculture, growing cotton and other crops, and for raising cattle. These prairie lands essentially run from Williamson County all the way down to the Gulf Coast and have a rich heritage of being farmed by German, Polish and other settlers.

Williamson County's fast growth rate is due in large part to its location immediately north of Austin coupled with Austin's rapid expansion northward. Austin's city limits cross into Williamson County making Austin the largest city in Williamson County. Most of the growth has been residential but also large employers, such as Dell's international headquarters, have changed Williamson County from just a bedroom community into a more vibrant community where its citizens can live and work in the same general vicinity. This has transformed Williamson county over recent years into a dynamic self-sustaining community with less dependency on Austin. Major retail and commercial developments began appearing from 1999 to present, including the Rivery in Georgetown, and the Premium Outlet Mall, the IKEA-area retail, the La Frontera mixed-use center in Round Rock. Health care and Higher Education have both become major factors in the growth of Williamson County as well. Two news colleges and two new hospitals have opened within the last five years. Another very significant factor has been the opening in of the North Loop 1 toll road and Texas State Highway 45 toll road which have made a major difference regarding the accessibility of Williamson County to and from Austin.

Much of Williamson County has been the site of human habitation for at least 11,200 years. The earliest known inhabitants of the area lived during the late Pleistocene (Ice Age), and are linked to the Clovis culture around 9,200 BCE (11,200 years old) based on evidence found at Bell County's much-studied Gault Site. One of the most important discoveries in recent times is that of the ancient skeletal remains dubbed "The Leanderthal Lady" because of its age and proximity to Leander, Texas. It was discovered by accident by the Texas Department of Transportation workers while drilling core samples for a new highway. The site has been extensively studied for many years and samples from this site carbon date to the Pleistocene period at approximately 10,500 years ago (9,500 BCE). Pre-historic and Archaic "open occupation" campsites are also found throughout the county along streams and other water sources including Brushy Creek in Round Rock and the San Gabriel River in Georgetown. Such evidence of Archaic Period inhabitants is often in the form of relics and flint tools recovered from burned rock middens. Many such sites were inundated when the San Gabriel River was dammed to create Lake Granger.

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Texas Hill Country to the northwest of Austin, Texas including parts of western Williamson County. The Refuge was formed in 1992 to conserve habitat for two endangered songbirds: the Golden-cheeked Warbler and the Black-capped Vireo and to preserve Texas Hill Country habitat for numerous other wildlife species. The Refuge augments a similarly named preserve in Austin called the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. The vegetation found in the Hill Country includes various oaks, elms, and Ashe juniper trees (often referred to as "cedar" in Texas). The endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo depend on different successional stages of this vegetation. Both of these birds nest in the Edwards Plateau, the Warbler exclusively.

Williamson county is home to five endangered species. Two endangered species are songbirds protected by the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve in Travis and Williamson counties. (See above). The other three are invertebrate species found only in Williamson county and which live in the cave-like fissures on the west side of the county. Karst topography is the name for the honeycomb type limestone formations (including caves, sinkholes and fissures) that are typical in the county's limestone geology west of Interstate 35. In the 1990s a group of concerned landowners, individuals and real estate developers formed the Northern Edwards Aquifer Resource Council (NEARC) with the goal of obtaining a United States Fish and Wildlife Service 10-A permit (known as an Incidental Take Permit) for the entire county by identifying and preserving a sufficient number of caves with endangered species to ensure survival of the species. These species would be preserved through voluntary donations of land rather than required setbacks, grants, and other involuntary means typically enforced on landowners without an incidental take permit. The group transferred their successful work on an Environmental Impact Statement to the county in 2002 and a county-wide 10-A permit was obtained in October 2008. Property owners are able to participate in the County's 10-A permit by applying through the WCCF at www.wilco.org/wccf.

One of the most significant growth factors of modern day Williamson County is the location of a new Sun City community in Georgetown. Opened in June 1995, and originally named "Sun City Georgetown", Sun City Texas is a 5,300 acre (21 km2) age-restricted community located in Georgetown, approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of IH-35 on Andice Road (RR 2338). It is part of the chain of Sun City communities started by the Del Webb Corporation (now a division of Pulte Homes) Residency is restricted to persons over age 55 (at least one person in a couple has to be 55 or older) and the community is generally oriented toward retirees.

Today the largest employer in Williamson County is Dell Computer Corp located in Round Rock, employing approximately 16,000 exployees.[citation needed] Retail and Health Care (including St.David's Hospital, Scott & White, Seton Medical Center Williamson hospital (a Level II certified trauma center, and the A&M Health Science center that opened in early 2010) are among the area's largest employers. Other than Dell, retail is the second most significant business group in the county. The new IKEA store and Premium Outlet Mall in Round Rock, as well as those located in the La Frontera mixed-use project in Round Rock are significant to the county. Wolf Ranch and The Rivery are also major retail centers located in Georgetown. In addition, Higher Education has a large positive effect on the county with the opening of the Texas State University Campus in Round Rock, the Texas State University Round Rock Campus (RRC), and the new Austin Community College campus which opened in 2010. The Round Rock campus is ACC's single largest campus in their system, providing two-year degrees as well as training in the high tech sector, nursing and other specialties.

The stars on the flag surrounding the state of Texas represent the thirty-three viable communities identified by Clara Stearns Scarbrough in her 1973 book, Land of Good Water.[citation needed] In 1970, these communities ranged in population from twenty (20)people in Norman's Crossing to more than 10,000 residents in Taylor. It is difficult to establish how many communities exist in Williamson County today, because the determination of "community" is subjective and without set criteria. However, in Williamson County in 2004, there were 11 towns with populations of over 1,000 people and seven towns with populations above 5,000.