Lead student counselors will work closely with a Supervising Attorney and Mithoff Pro Bono Scholars to manage cases from intake through conclusion. Students will help people determine eligibility for expunction or orders of non-disclosure; obtain criminal records; prepare petitions; and prepare individuals for pro se hearings. Expunging records allows people to legally deny offenses and erases records from criminal histories, mitigating future harm stemming from arrests that do not result in a criminal conviction. Orders of nondisclosure direct police departments and other agencies not to disclose criminal records on background checks, and allow people to not disclose offenses on housing or employment applications.
Organization
Expunction Project
The Expunction Project is an internal project of the Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program’s Educational Equity Project.
Project Details
- Project Start Date
January 2020; Lead student counselors must attend one Expunction Intake Clinic (Tuesday, January 28, 5:30pm-9pm OR Saturday, February 1, 10:30am-3pm OR Tuesday, February 11, 5:30pm-9pm OR Thursday, February 29, 5:30pm-9pm) AND one Expunction Work Session (Dates TBD; Scholars will schedule with Lead Student Counselors) AND one Expunction Exit Session (Dates TBD; or meet with service recipients 1-1)
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 20-25 hours during the spring semester, including training sessions.
- Training
- Students must attend one Expunction Intake Training (Monday, January 27, 5:45pm-7:45pm (TNH 2.138) OR Wednesday, February 5, 5:15pm-7:15pm (Room TBD)) and a separate training for lead student counselors that will be scheduled based on student availability
- Skills used
- Client interviewing; communication about client’s legal needs; document preparation and review
- Project location
- Expunction Intake Sessions are at the Goodwill Resource Center, 6505 Burleson Road (January 28), the Pflugerville Public Library, 1008 Pflugerville Street, Pflugerville (February 1), Travis County Law Library, 314 West 11th Street (February 11), and the Travis County Community Center at Del Valle, 3518 FM 973 South, Del Valle (February 27); Expunction Work Sessions are at the law school; other work will be performed in the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law (CCJ 1.324)
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 8
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM
- Required skills
- Language: Spanish helpful but not necessary; prior Expunction Project experience helpful but not necessary
- To Apply
- Submit email to Sarah Sedgwick at ssedgwick@law.utexas.edu stating interest and indicating 1) which Intake Session date you can attend (January 28, February 1, February 11, or February 27) and 2) which Intake Training Session you are planning to attend (January 27 or February 5)