Representatives from Cooley Law School, Michigan Department of Attorney General, Safe & Just Michigan, Ascend Co-Lab for Social Equality, and Legal Services of South Central Michigan, held an expungement fair at Cooley on Oct. 9 to aid in the removal of certain arrests and convictions from qualifying individuals’ public criminal records.
On Oct. 9, Cooley Law School, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Safe & Just Michigan, Ascend Co-Lab for Social Equality, and Legal Services of South Central Michigan, held an expungement fair to aid in the removal of certain arrests and convictions from qualifying individuals’ public criminal records.
There were 116 individuals screened through the pre-registration and onsite walk-in process with 60 individuals qualifying for expungement. During the fair, volunteer attorneys and law students under the supervision of licensed attorneys assisted 34 qualified guests who attended the fair with their expungement paperwork.
Michigan law has always allowed for expungements, but the “Clean Slate” legislation enacted in 2020 made more individuals and offenses eligible for expungement. Under the law, individuals with up to three expungement-eligible felonies and any number of misdemeanors can have their records expunged. Certain traffic violations and first-time operating while intoxicated offenses can be expunged. Additionally, misdemeanor marijuana convictions that would not have been considered crimes after recreational marijuana was legalized in Michigan can be expunged.
Expungement removes arrests and convictions from a person’s public criminal record, which makes prior convictions inaccessible to employers or landlords. Cooley Law School has hosted several expungement fairs since 2023, which has resulted in hundreds of individuals being able to have their criminal records expunged.
About Cooley Law School: Cooley Law School was founded on a mission of equal access to a legal education and offers admission to a diverse group of qualified applicants across the country. Since the law school’s founding in 1972, Cooley has provided a modern legal education to more than 21,000 graduates, teaching the practical skills necessary for a seamless transition from academia to the real world. An independent, non-profit law school, accredited by both the American Bar Association and the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Cooley holds classes year-round at its Michigan and Florida campuses.
There were 116 individuals screened through the pre-registration and onsite walk-in process with 60 individuals qualifying for expungement. During the fair, volunteer attorneys and law students under the supervision of licensed attorneys assisted 34 qualified guests who attended the fair with their expungement paperwork.
Michigan law has always allowed for expungements, but the “Clean Slate” legislation enacted in 2020 made more individuals and offenses eligible for expungement. Under the law, individuals with up to three expungement-eligible felonies and any number of misdemeanors can have their records expunged. Certain traffic violations and first-time operating while intoxicated offenses can be expunged. Additionally, misdemeanor marijuana convictions that would not have been considered crimes after recreational marijuana was legalized in Michigan can be expunged.
Expungement removes arrests and convictions from a person’s public criminal record, which makes prior convictions inaccessible to employers or landlords. Cooley Law School has hosted several expungement fairs since 2023, which has resulted in hundreds of individuals being able to have their criminal records expunged.
About Cooley Law School: Cooley Law School was founded on a mission of equal access to a legal education and offers admission to a diverse group of qualified applicants across the country. Since the law school’s founding in 1972, Cooley has provided a modern legal education to more than 21,000 graduates, teaching the practical skills necessary for a seamless transition from academia to the real world. An independent, non-profit law school, accredited by both the American Bar Association and the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Cooley holds classes year-round at its Michigan and Florida campuses.
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