One Mistake Should Not Define You

Many of us have made mistakes during our lives – even mistakes that have led to arrests and subsequent convictions. Unfortunately, we now live in a world that is increasingly lived online. We share the events of our lives online. We learn about what's happening in our communities online. And, of course, we read our news online. That means that notice of your arrest or conviction may be published online in the local newspaper, on a community website, or even on one of your own social media channels. Worse – the information contained within those articles or notices may be incomplete, misleading, or outright inaccurate.

Unfortunately, when it comes to online news, there's no expiration date on specific articles. The details of one of the worst days of your life may be easily Google-able for years to come – and the more that people click any link involving your name and arrest when it comes up in the search results, the higher up that URL will go in Google's search rankings, making it easier for people to find that link in the future. Even if you were only accused of a crime, not arrested or convicted, your name might come up – and, as we all know, there can be a high cost to accusations.

No Expiration Dates on the Internet

Just as your criminal history can remain on your state or federal record indefinitely – so does news of any criminal infractions on the Internet. While it is possible to ask third-party background check sites to remove your information, newspapers are under no obligation to remove or update stories – even if any charges were later dismissed or expunged. That means, even if you were found innocent of any wrongdoing, a future employer or admissions official from your dream university may see that you were arrested in the top results of any search engine request.

While you should always disclose any arrests or convictions when asked in job or school applications when asked, having this kind of information readily available on the Internet can have significant consequences on your ability to achieve your goals. And while it may seem like there is nothing you can do to remove this information from the Internet, that is not the case. Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to request that an article be taken down – or that it be “de-indexed” in search engines to lower the probability of it being at the top of search results.

Get the Help You Need

The Student Defense Team at LLF Law Firm is well-versed in school disciplinary issues of all kinds. They also have extensive experience in dealing with policies and procedures at high schools, colleges, and universities across the country.

If you feel like your past arrests or convictions are playing a role in current disciplinary actions at your school – or you are looking to correct inaccurate information about past allegations – you likely feel angry and quite overwhelmed. That's normal. But when you retain LLF Law Firm and the LLF Student Defense Team, they can help you manage any issues you are facing in a way that will protect your rights and make it more likely you'll reach an outcome that won't derail your future plans. Contact the LLF Law Firm at (888) 535-3686 today to learn more about your options.