How to Keep Your Record Clean in Georgia (pt. 3): Sealing Your Record

Having Your Record Sealed In our previous posts, we discussed two important ways to avoid getting a criminal record in Georgia. In this post, we cover how to have your record sealed after pleading guilty as a first offender. The primary benefit of first offender is that it can protect you from having a criminal […]

Case Law Update: Garr v. State – First Offender

Gist of the Law In today’s post, we discuss a new case from the Georgia Court of Appeals, Garr v. State, which concerns First Offender. This case states that the trial court must give a reason on the record for why it is denying First Offender. In specific, Garr prohibits judges from denying First Offender […]

How to Keep your Criminal Record Clean in Georgia (Pt. 2): Pretrial Diversion and Accountability Courts

In our last post, we discussed the ways in which people charged with a felony or misdemeanor in Georgia can use First Offender and Conditional Discharge to avoid having a criminal record. In this post, we will discuss other methods of protecting one’s record, which include pretrial diversion and accountability courts. Many counties in Georgia […]

How to Keep Your Record Clean in Georgia (Pt. 1): First Offender and Conditional Discharge

Being charged with a felony in Georgia and pleading guilty to it can easily lead to you becoming a convicted felon. A felony conviction can stay with you long after you have been convicted — potentially for life — and can continue to negatively affect many areas of your life including employment, housing, education, gun […]

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