New Washington State Supreme decision fails to give clear guidance in sealing court records.

Effective June 12, 2014, a new law will go into effect in Washington State affecting how courts seal juvenile records. (Laws of 2014 ch. 175)  The new state policy on juvenile records states; “The legislature declares it is the policy of the state of Washington that the interest in juvenile reh...

On November 1, 2013, a new employment background check law goes into effect in the City of Seattle. What is this new law? How does it change the way employers screen potential job applicants? Most importantly, how does this law affect you if you have a criminal record and are searching for a job?

The National Employment Law Project describes inaccuracies in the FBI records which are provided in response to employment background checks. We describe how to correct these erroneous records. We can help with this process.

The State Supreme Court heard argument on the case Hundtofte v. Encarnacion last month. A decision is due at any time. This decision is expected to have a significant effect on the ability of individuals to seal or redact court records in Washington State.

In February of 2009, the Washington Court of Appeals issued a new ruling affecting how court files can be sealed.  Click here for more information:State v. KRW. This decision (from a case we won at the trial court)  established new requirements for sealing.

This past legislative session the legislature contemplated making two substantial changes to the laws relating to the expungement of criminal records. Both attempts, for the time being, have failed.

The State Supreme Court decided to review the Court of Appeals ruling in Encarnacion v. Hundtofte, 169 Wn. App. 498 (2012). The decision in Encarnacion substantially restricts the ability of judges to seal or redact court files to protect privacy rights of individuals who must pass back...

Washington law provides individuals who have certain types of criminal convictions on their record the opportunity to have the convictions dismissed and removed from their official criminal history. This is called “vacation,” and applies to certain felonies, misdemeanors, and gross misdemeanors. ...