D Aarons, Stephen Attorney at Law

Your petition for expungement must be filed in the first judicial district court in Los Alamos county, assuming that is where your case originated. Unfortunately Santa Clara straddles both Santa Fe County and Rio Arriba County. Often times, while the case is filed in Los Alamos county, the sitting judge will hear the case in his or her courtroom in Santa Fe if more convenient for the attorneys or parties.

An expungement can be a second chance for those individuals who have completed their probation and not served any state prison time. It is possible that a convicted person can represent himself or herself pro se (for himself) in district court, but be aware of the old adage that “he who represents himself has a fool for a client.” This old maxim rings true in the expungement process where your counsel must make reasoned arguments to the district judge as to why “justice will be served by an order to expunge” your record. An Assistant First Judicial District Attorney from either Santa Fe or Los Alamos will be given notice of your petition, will file a response and will be able to argue at your hearing that justice will only be served if your record remains unsealed. At Aarons Law PC, we will put forth our best effort to file the most persuasive petition with supporting documents, file a reply to the DA’s Response in Opposition to your petition, and make the best possible arguments on your behalf at the hearing in district court. No lawyer can guarantee success for every petition for expungement but, as you might imagine, having a well respected and seasoned local defense attorney arguing on your behalf will greatly improve your chances.