Lead student counselors will work closely with the Educational Equity Fellow and Mithoff Pro Bono Scholars to manage 5-8 expunction and nondisclosure cases from intake through conclusion. Students will help people determine eligibility to expunge criminal records or obtain orders of nondisclosure of criminal records; obtain criminal records from courts and other agencies; draft petitions; and prepare individuals for pro se expunction 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 a person to not disclose offenses on applications for housing or employment.
Organization
Educational Equity Project, Mithoff Pro Bono Program
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 2018; Lead student counselors must attend one Expunction Intake Clinic (Wednesday, January 31, 5:30pm-9pm OR Wednesday, February 7, 5:30pm-9pm), one Expunction Work Session (Wednesday, February 28, 5pm-8:30pm OR Wednesday, March 7, 5pm-8:30pm); AND one Expunction Exit Session (Wednesday, March 28, 5:30pm-9pm OR Wednesday, April 4, 5:30pm-9pm)
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 20-25 hours during the fall semester, including training sessions
- Training
- Students must attend Expunction Intake Training on Monday, January 29, 5pm-7pm (TNH 2.137) OR Tuesday, February 6, 5pm-7pm (TNH 2.137); students also must attend a separate training for lead student counselors that will be scheduled based on student availability
- Skills used
- Client interviewing; document preparation/review
- Project location
- Expunction Intake and Exit Sessions are at the Travis County Law Library, 314 W. 11th Street (January 31 and March 28) or the Goodwill Central Texas Community Center, 1015 Norwood Park Blvd. (February 7 and April 4); Expunction Work Sessions are in TNH 2.137; 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 Clinic experience helpful but not necessary
- To Apply
- Submit email stating interest and indicating which Intake Session you would like to attend to Sarah Sedgwick at ssedgwick@law.utexas.edu