Defending Your Future Against the Results of Criminal Charges
Many people who have been charged with crimes are mostly concerned about staying out of jail. This is understandable, but if your criminal defense is entirely focused on avoiding jail time, you could find yourself accepting a plea deal that will permanently affect your criminal record.
I'm Ralph Karsh, an experienced Pittsburgh criminal defense lawyer, and I help my clients make informed decisions about their cases based in part on the potential consequences of a criminal record. To schedule a free initial consultation, contact my office today.
Fighting the Consequences of a Criminal Record
A criminal record has an impact in several different areas under Pennsylvania law, federal law and the policies of private institutions. I will present a vigorous criminal defense with an eye toward protecting you from consequences such as the following:
- Employment: Employers typically refuse to hire people who have been convicted of crimes that might be relevant to their jobs. A conviction for any crime of dishonesty — such as theft or embezzlement — could seriously limit which jobs are available to you. And generally, if an employer has a choice between an applicant with a criminal record and an applicant without a record, the person with a record is at a disadvantage.
- Education and professional licenses: Educational institutions and professional licensing boards all have different standards regarding the impact of a criminal conviction. Depending on your exact charges, you could — for instance — be unable to get into law or medical school or obtain a teaching or nursing certificate. Even seemingly minor charges like drug possession can have an impact.
- Firearm possession: If you are convicted of a felony, you will be permanently barred from owning or possessing a firearm. Local prosecutors are very tough on weapons violations by convicted felons.
- Federal benefits: Certain benefits such as student loans and welfare payments may be denied to people who have been convicted of felonies.
For certain crimes, it is possible to get an expungement of your criminal record after you have served your sentence and not gotten into further trouble, but an expungement is no guarantee that your conviction will not remain in a database somewhere.
The most important thing you can do to avoid the consequences of a criminal record is to consult a defense attorney right away. Contact me today.
