This webinar will prepare legal services and volunteer attorneys to assist low-income clients with criminal expungement petitions. Criminal records, even purely arrest records, often prevent low-income Minnesotans from obtaining gainful employment and adequate housing. The presenters have developed automated online tools that help attorneys draft petitions that seek effective relief from the collateral consequences of criminal convictions. The webinar will include:

* The impacts of criminal records on low-income Minnesotans

* Overview of current expungement law, including recent caselaw and legislative proposals

* Detailed demonstration of the "Criminal Expungement Start-to-Finish" automated pleadings assembly tool.

The "Start-to-Finish" is designed to allow attorneys without experience in this field to readily assist clients with expungement petitions. Much of the legal analysis needed to choose the most appropriate legal avenue for expungement has already been done, and the tool embeds numerous resources that educate the attorney about the law along the way. So even if this area is new to you, consider joining us for this online session. Your help can make a concrete difference in the life of a low-income client!