Expungement Lawyer Serving Houston And Throughout Texas
A criminal record can close doors before you ever get a fair chance. At Paul Morgan Law Office, PLLC, our Houston criminal defense attorney is a board-certified Texas criminal law specialist, fighting relentlessly to protect your rights. Expungement is your real chance to start over.
Understanding Expungement In Texas
Under Texas law, expungement (also called expunction) destroys your criminal record entirely. All law enforcement agencies, courts and government offices must destroy or return every record tied to your arrest. This clears your Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) criminal history record and your FBI background check (National Crime Information Center record).
If police arrested you multiple times during the same criminal episode, you can typically expunge only one arrest unless all charges from that episode qualify for expunction. In addition, some private databases and news archives may still carry your information.
Not every case qualifies, but many do. You may have grounds for criminal record relief in Texas if your case involved:
- An arrest with no charges filed
- A dismissed charge
- A not-guilty verdict at trial
- A conviction overturned on appeal
- Certain juvenile offenses
- A Class C misdemeanor under deferred adjudication
Our Houston expungement attorney can help you find out.
Expunction Vs. Order Of Nondisclosure In Texas
Texas offers two paths for criminal record relief: expunction and nondisclosure. Expunction destroys your record, while nondisclosure seals it but keeps it accessible to government agencies and licensing boards. Expunction is almost always the stronger option.
Texas law sets waiting periods and excludes some convictions from eligibility. You cannot expunge most felony convictions in Texas, even if you completed deferred adjudication successfully; nondisclosure becomes your only option in those cases.
How The Texas Expungement Process Works
The process typically takes three to six months or longer. Here is what to expect:
- Case evaluation: We confirm your eligibility and identify the strongest path forward
- Record collection: We gather your full criminal history, including your Texas DPS record
- Petition filing: We prepare and file your petition for expunction with the court
- Court hearing: A judge reviews your petition and any objections
- Court order: The judge signs the expunction order
- Agency follow-up: We confirm all parties have complied
We see it through until your record is clear.
We Will Not Stop Fighting Until Your Record Is Clear
Those doors do not have to stay closed. We at Paul Morgan Law Office, PLLC, bring tenacious, strategic advocacy and genuine care to every expungement case. Call our office at 713-364-0209 or reach out to us online to get started today.