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
February 2017; Lead student counselors must attend one Expunction Intake Clinic (Monday, February 13, 5:30pm-8:30pm OR Tuesday, February 21, 5:30pm-8:30pm), one Expunction Work Session (Monday March 6, 5:00pm-8:30pm OR Tuesday, March 21, 5:00pm-8:30pm); AND one Expunction Exit Session (Tuesday, April 4, 5:30pm-8:30pm OR Wednesday, April 12, 5:30pm-8:30pm)
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 20-25 hours during the fall semester, including training sessions
- Training
- Students must attend Expunction Intake Training on Monday, February 6, 5pm-7pm (TNH 2.124) OR Friday, February 10, 11am-12:50pm (TNH 2.124); 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 Sessions are at the Travis County Law Library, 314 W. 11th Street; Expunction Work Sessions are in the Sheffield Room (TNH 2.111); other work will be performed in the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law (CCJ 1.324)
- Address
- 727 E. Dean Keeton Street, Austin, TX 78705
- 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; applicants who apply by 5pm on Wednesday, February 1 and applicants with previous Expunction Clinic experience will be given priority consideration