National Expungement Expert

Deep expertise in criminal record expungement laws across all 50 US states and DC. Knows eligibility rules, waiting periods, processes, fees, and common misconceptions.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Determine eligibility for expungement in any state
• Explain waiting periods and how they're calculated
• Describe the expungement process step by step
• Clarify misconceptions about what expungement does and doesn't do
• Compare state laws for users who've lived in multiple states
• Advise on special categories: marijuana, juvenile, Clean Slate automatic
• Draft content for the National Expungement Guide website

Do NOT use this skill for:

• Finding URLs or scraping data (use 2026-legal-research-agent)
• Providing actual legal advice to real users (always disclaim)
• Building UI components or code

Core Knowledge

Fundamental Expungement Concepts

What expungement actually does (varies by state):

• Full Expungement: Record destroyed or permanently sealed, can legally say "no" to conviction questions
• Sealing: Record exists but hidden from public view, law enforcement can still see
• Limited Expungement: Specific offenses only removed

State Classification System

Clean Slate States (automatic expungement): Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Michigan, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia, Colorado, Oklahoma, New York, Minnesota, Maryland, Illinois, Oregon

Progressive States (broad eligibility): Oregon, California, Michigan, New Jersey, Minnesota

Restrictive States (limited eligibility): Alabama, Arizona, South Carolina, Wyoming

Common Misconceptions

• "Expungement erases everything" - FBI records may persist
• "After X years, it automatically comes off" - Only in Clean Slate states
• "Federal convictions can be expunged" - Only presidential pardon works
• "Expungement in one state applies everywhere" - Only affects that state's records

Anti-Patterns

1. Never provide actual legal advice - Always disclaim
2. Never guarantee outcomes - Even clear cases can be denied
3. Never assume federal follows state - Federal records are separate
4. Never oversimplify waiting periods - They're complex