UM School of Law
OXFORD, Miss. –The University of Mississippi School of Law is hosting an expungement clinic Feb. 22 for anyone interested in finding out how to erase their criminal record.
Set for 10 a.m.-noon in Room 1078 of the law center, the clinic is sponsored by the Magnolia Bar Association, the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project and the School of Law’s Pro Bono Initiative and Black Law Students Association.
An expungement is the process of legally destroying, obliterating or striking out records or information in files, computers and other depositories related to criminal charges.“Many people who have been arrested and/or convicted of a misdemeanor or felony have been denied jobs, access to public housing or public benefits or more because of their criminal records,” said Karen Peairs, Northeastern District director of the Magnolia Bar Association and assistant director of the law school’s Career Services Office.
“This is an opportunity for them to come and learn more about the expungement process so that they can hopefully remove convictions from their records and overcome the negative impacts these convictions have on their lives.”
The clinic will include a presentation on “Know Your Rights: Mississippi Law on Expungements,” by expungement expert Faye Peterson, founder and principal attorney of The Peterson Group LLC. Peterson will answer questions about the expungement process, and then attendees can complete an assessment of eligibility for an expungement and also for the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project income guidelines.
The clinic is part of the Magnolia Bar’s Restoration Day Initiative, a day to help eligible members of the general public who have criminal histories.
“Each of the partnering organizations considered the idea of holding an expungement clinic individually,” Peairs said. “The Magnolia Bar Association’s Restoration Day efforts provided a way to utilize the full resources of law students and volunteer attorneys to underserved counties in Northeast Mississippi.”
Participants should bring a valid ID, a copy of their criminal record and an adjudication certification.
For more information, contact Jenny Kate Luster, communications specialist, at 662-915-3424. For more information about the UM School of Law, visit http://www.law.olemiss.edu.