[January 5, 2024]
Arizona’s Motion to Seal Law
If you have an old criminal conviction in Arizona, you can get it sealed. On January 1, 2023, the Arizona law came into effect.
As said many times before, this new law A.R. S. 13-911 is the best I’ve seen in 23 years of practicing law in Arizona.
It is so good because if you get your case sealed, you can truthfully answer that you have never been convicted of a criminal offense on job applications, rental applications, loan applications, etc.
I’m not aware of any state in the U.S. that has a second chance law this good.
Woodfork Law Newsletter
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Because I want to get the word out about this wonderful new law, I post information on YouTube, TikTok, and sometimes X (Twitter) and Instagram.
However, the most critical information I send out is in my newsletter.
In the newsletter, you’ll receive information about Arizona’s motion to seal law that I’ve personally dealt with. With strict adherence to client confidentiality, I provide tips and points I’ve learned from representing my clients in 2023.
For example, I’ve written about how Arizona judges don’t seem to think that 10 years ago was a long time.
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2023 in Review
Based on back-of-the-envelope math, 90% of my clients had their records sealed.
I was pleased that everything played out as I had anticipated.
Since the law was so new, no Arizona lawyers knew what to expect. Nevertheless, I relied on my experience of filing many Motions to Set Aside Conviction under Arizona’s previous law. (See post: How to Erase a Criminal Conviction in Scottsdale, Arizona
Also, I watched 3 hours of video of the Arizona legislature debating Arizona’s Motion to Seal Law.
Finally, a few Appellate cases were decided in 2023, which helped guide what the Courts were looking at in deciding second-chance motions.*
*I say second chance motions to encompass all Arizona Motions to seal, get gun rights back, and erase marijuana convictions.
With all this information, my clients were able to be successful.
Moreover, on the flip side, I was able to tell people when I thought an Arizona judge would deny their Motions and that they shouldn’t waste their time and money.
Conclusion
After one year of Arizona’s Motion to Seal law, it is clearly working as intended.
The law offers people with old Arizona cases a way to put the past behind them and secure a fresh start.
If you are considering getting your past behind you, please do not hesitate to contact me at:
derronw@msn.com or
602-284-3035