Students will oversee the entire expunction and/or nondisclosure process for 2 to 4 applicants. Lead student counselors (LSCs) participate in every stage of the Expunction Project over the course of a few weeks and will determine what type of relief their applicants may be eligible for based on their criminal history; obtain criminal records necessary to prove applicants’ eligibility; draft petitions and orders for relief; and meet with applicants to prepare them for pro se hearings. LSCs will work closely with a Mithoff Program supervising attorney and Pro Bono Scholars throughout this process. An expunction destroys all criminal records related to an eligible offense, and a nondisclosure seals the records so that applicants no longer have to disclose their criminal history on background checks.
Organization
Texas Law Expunction Project
The Expunction Project is an internal project of the Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program.
Project Details
- Project Start Date
September 2023
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 15-20 hours during the fall semester, including training
- Training
- LSCs will have one training session at a time TBD based on volunteers’ schedules
- Skills used
- Client interviewing; legal records review; requesting court records; legal analysis; legal writing
- Project location
- Law school and independent work location
- Address
- 727 E. Dean Keeton Street, Austin, TX 78705
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 5
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM
- Required skills
- Students with an interest in client management, social justice, navigating the criminal legal system, and engaging with criminal history records are encouraged to volunteer; students who have an interest in pro bono leadership and getting more involved with the Mithoff Program are preferred; students do not need to have previously volunteered with the Expunction Project in order to be an LSC
- To Apply
- Submit a brief statement of interest by Friday, September 15