Fresh Start · Record Clearance
Did you know most misdemeanors — and many felonies — can be dismissed from your California record? A DUI. A shoplifting charge from your twenties. That thing you did once and already paid for. Most people never find out they qualify. Let the system work for you for once.
See If Your Record Qualifies →§ Did you know?
A DUI can usually be expunged in California once probation is complete. It’s one of the most common dismissals filed — and one of the least known.
After a PC § 1203.4 dismissal, most private employers can’t hold the conviction against you — and for most private-sector job applications, you can answer as if it never happened.
Some felonies (“wobblers”) can first be reduced to misdemeanors under PC § 17(b) — then dismissed. Two motions, one fresh start.
Since 2023, California automatically clears many older records — but thousands fall through the cracks and still show up on background checks. Finding out whether yours actually cleared is itself worth doing.
§ Fresh Start Record Clearance Services
Expungements — dismissal of eligible convictions under PC § 1203.4 / 1203.4a.
Felony Reductions (§ 17(b)) — reducing eligible felonies to misdemeanors.
Arrest Record Sealing — sealing eligible arrests that never became convictions.
Certificates of Rehabilitation — court-issued recognition for those who qualify.
Proposition 47 Relief — reclassification of eligible felonies to misdemeanors.
Proposition 64 Relief — reduction or dismissal of eligible cannabis convictions.
Available where legally appropriate and within the scope of Legal Document Assistant services.
Why choose Fresh Start
Every case receives an individualized eligibility review. We review your court records, identify the appropriate record-clearance remedy, prepare your self-help documents, and provide filing instructions specific to your case.
Why this service exists
This one’s personal for me. I’ve made my own mistakes — including one that ended up on a court docket with my name on it. I know exactly what it feels like to have a single bad night follow you around on paper for years.
I’ve also spent six years working federal criminal defense as a litigation paralegal — sitting in courtrooms, preparing the filings, watching what happens to people after the case ends. The sentence ends. The record doesn’t. Unless you ask.
So here’s the deal: you did your time, you finished your probation, you moved on. Let’s make the paperwork catch up with who you are now. I got you.
§ Straight talk
What it does: a successful petition under PC § 1203.4 reopens your case, withdraws the guilty plea or verdict, and dismisses it. Your record then shows the dismissal. For most private-sector employment purposes in California, the conviction can no longer be used against you.
What it doesn’t do (and anyone who tells you otherwise is overselling): it doesn’t erase the case from existence — courts and law enforcement can still see it. You generally must still disclose it when applying for government jobs, state licenses, or public office. It doesn’t restore firearm rights, doesn’t affect sex-offender registration, and doesn’t undo immigration consequences. Honesty about the limits is part of the service here.
§ Our Process
Submit your intake form below and upload any court documents you have.
We review your case information and determine whether additional records are needed before preparing your packet.
Once eligibility is confirmed, we prepare your customized self-help court packet.
You’ll receive your completed packet with filing instructions specific to your court. Need us to handle the courthouse run for you? Add Filing Assistance and all you do is sign and show up on your hearing date.
§ Pricing
Pricing is based on one case. Multiple cases or additional record-clearance remedies may require an additional fee after eligibility review.
Court filing fees, court copy fees, and records retrieval fees are separate unless otherwise stated.
Your $100 deposit covers your eligibility review; balance due before delivery of your completed packet. If we determine we cannot prepare your requested documents, we’ll explain why and discuss your available options.
§ Documents that help
If available, please provide: case number(s), Minute Orders, Register of Actions, a DOJ Record Review (RAP sheet), and any court paperwork you have. Don’t worry if you don’t have everything — we’ll let you know if additional documents are needed. Need us to pull your records? That’s the optional Records Retrieval service above.
Eligibility is determined after reviewing your court records. Submission of an intake form does not guarantee eligibility or court approval.
Prefer to talk it through first? Email me or call (562) 781-9318.
§ Questions people actually ask
The basic pattern under PC § 1203.4: your case was in California state court, probation is complete (or was never imposed and enough time has passed), you’re not currently charged with, on probation for, or serving a sentence on another offense, and the conviction isn’t one of a short list of excluded offenses. The intake form walks you through the court’s own published criteria — and if your situation doesn’t fit, I’ll tell you straight instead of taking your money.
Usually not. Most straightforward petitions are decided on the paperwork. If the court sets a hearing on your matter, you’ll be notified by the court directly.
My part: days. The court’s part: typically several weeks, varying by county and caseload.
California’s Clean Slate laws automatically clear many older records — but the automation misses plenty, and background-check companies don’t always update. If a “cleared” conviction is still showing up in your life, that’s exactly the kind of thing worth checking.
Your deposit covers a real eligibility review before any drafting begins — your court record checked against the law. If the review shows we can’t prepare the documents you requested, we’ll explain exactly why and walk you through your available options — sometimes there’s a different path (early termination of probation, paying off fines first, another form of relief). If a petition is filed and the court denies it in its discretion, I’ll prepare one refiling at no additional preparation fee. What I can’t do is guarantee an outcome — no honest preparer can. The court decides; my job is making sure your paperwork gives you your best shot.
No — and that’s why this costs a fraction of what a law firm charges. I’m a registered Legal Document Assistant: I prepare your documents accurately, at your specific direction, using the court’s own forms and published self-help criteria. I can’t give you legal advice or represent you in court. If your case is contested or complicated, you may need an attorney, and I’ll tell you if I think that’s the situation.