CLEAR YOUR RECORD NOW!

We Are Top Expungement Lawyers.

40+ Years of Combined Experience

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A Record of Success

Our law firm gets almost 100% of our Petitions to Expunge Granted.

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Former Prosecutor

Our law firm is lead by an aggressive former prosecutor.

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Skilled Attorneys

Our attorneys are skilled in all areas of expungement and sealing law.

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A Record of Success

Our law firm gets almost 100% of our Petitions to Expunge Granted.

What we do

WE HELP CLEAR PEOPLE'S CRIMINAL RECORDS

Anyone can make a mistake in life. Anyone can be subject to a false allegation. Do not let this limit your life. We can help clear people’s criminal records and open up a world of opportunity in education, employment, housing, and credit.

GIVE YOURSELF A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE
CLEAR YOUR RECORD NOW!
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

You can find a list of convictions by ordering a criminal record from the Illinois State Police.
You can find a broader criminal record by hiring a criminal background search company and running a search on yourself. The broad record will contain everything, including arrests and dismissed cases.

There are two types of things that constitute a criminal record.
A narrow criminal record is only formal convictions.
The Illinois state police keep a record of all convictions entered against people.
A broad criminal record is more problematic.
These are the records that come up in a criminal background check. Background check companies go to criminal courthouses and pull all case records from the court clerk’s office. They put these records into databases to sell to employers, landlords, and lenders. Even if a person received a resolution that was not a formal conviction, this would appear on a background search. Even if all charges were dismissed against the person, they would still appear on the background search.

An expungement will completely clear both kinds of criminal records.

You can clear your record by having an attorney prepare and file a petition to expunge or seal. The petition must be prepared correctly and have all of the correct information. If there are errors in the petition, the judge may deny it, and you will have to refile it. This may delay the expungement by months.

After the attorney files the petition with the court, the court clerk will schedule a hearing on your petition to expunge or seal. During that time, you and your attorney will prepare for the hearing by gathering documents and information that you will use to persuade the judge to grant the expungement.

At the expungement hearing, the judge will decide whether or not to clear your criminal record.

When the judge grants an expungement, the judge orders that the court destroy all of its records of your criminal case. After the judge orders an expungement, the court clerk will destroy all of its records. If you go to the court’s website and enter your name or case number, it will say “no record.”.

The judge also orders the police to destroy all of their records of your case. If somebody files a freedom of information request at the police station for your records, they will respond that there are no records. After the police have destroyed their records, they will send a signed affidavit to your attorney swearing that they have destroyed your records.

Even if you were sentenced on the case, if you meet the proper criteria, the judge will order an expungement.

A sealing is almost as good as an expungement. In a sealing, the judge orders the court to seal all court records. The public will not be able to access your file and not know of your criminal case.

Most types of Illinois criminal cases are eligible for either expungement or sealing.

YOU CAN EVEN SEAL A MURDER IN ILLINOIS.

Nearly all misdemeanors are eligible for expungement.

Many felonies, including drug cases, are eligible for expungement.

You can seal most felonies and misdemeanors in Illinois.

Call our attorneys now for a free consultation to determine if your case can be expunged or sealed.

It is very common for people to have numerous arrests, dispositions, and convictions on their criminal record.  Many people go through difficult times when they are younger and mature and become more responsible. 

We can prepare a petition to expunge all cases eligible for expungement and seal all of the rest.  While a judge might be more hesitant to clear an extensive criminal history, our team or expungement lawyers have a great deal of experience representing people with complex histories and persuading judges to clear our clients’ records. 

We have represented many clients with extensive criminal backgrounds when they hired us and had their entire criminal history cleared after a single court hearing.

Our law firm can immediately give you a consultation about whether your case is eligible to be expunged. We are available 24/7/365 for a free consultation. After you retain our office, we can prepare and file the petition to expunge within a few days.The court clerk usually schedules an expungement hearing for about 60 to 90 days in the future. In Cook County, it may take longer because their court docket is busy.

After the attorney files the petition with the court, the court clerk will schedule a hearing on your petition to expunge or seal. During that time, you and your attorney will prepare for the hearing by gathering documents and information that you will use at the hearing to persuade the judge to grant the expungement. These documents may include educational certificates, employment information, therapy records, and character letters. At the hearing, your expungement attorneys will seek to persuade the judge to grant the expungement. The prosecutor, who represents the government, will often try to block the expungement.

Our law firm is successful in persuading the judge to grant almost all of the petitions to expunge or seal that we argue. After the judge grants the expungement or sealing, your criminal record is gone!

No

An expungement or sealing is not a mere formality. Judges often deny expungements. Prosecutors very often argue vigorously against the expungement. Judges often deny expungements.

It is the job of a good expungement lawyer to persuade the judge to grant the expungement.

Our law firm can provide you with a free and immediate consultation via phone, email, or chat, to determine if you are eligible for an expungement.

We will carefully draft the petition to expunge and file it immediately. We will represent you at the expungement hearing and seek to persuade the judge to grant the expungement.

Our team of expungement attorneys has over 40 combined years of experience. We know how to present a case likely to persuade judges to grant an expungement or sealing.

We get almost 100 percent of our expungement cases granted!

our team

Meet Our Attorneys

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Years Of Combined Experience

We focus on Expungements. We know how to present a case likely to persuade judges to grant an expungement or sealing.We get almost 100 percent of our expungements granted.

gus kostopoulos expungement lawyer 1
Expungement Attorney

Gus Kostopoulos is an expungement and criminal defense attorney with over 20 years of experience.  He is a former prosecutor who has handled thousands of expungement and criminal matters. 

Gus received an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a juris doctorate from the DePaul University College of Law.

Astrid G.
Astrid G.
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Gus is a great lawyer! He got the case dismissed and was very professional and helpful. He answered any questions I had and was understanding when I was nervous. Would recommend him to anyone!
Ron W.
Ron W.
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Gus did an amazing job with my case!!! He was able to get it dismissed without any issues. He is very affordable. He is very on top of your case and keeps you up to date the entire way. Would definitely recommend using this law firm for any cases.
Harris S.
Harris S.
Read More
Gus is very good and honest he is also very quick to get back to me when I have any questions. He is upfront and tells you what the outcome will be and doesn’t lie. He gets the job done and always stays on top of things. He is also very knowledgeable and I can tell he knows what he’s doing. Best lawyer ever!
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joe messineo
Expungement Attorney

Joe Messineo is an experienced expungement and criminal defense attorney dedicated to helping our clients avoid convictions and helping clients expunge convictions from mistakes made in the past.


Joe received an undergraduate degree from DePaul Univesity and a juris doctorate from the University of South Dakota College of Law.

Taylor Y.
Taylor Y.
Read More
Joe was an amazing lawyer. He helped me through every step of the way and he couldn't have made it easier for me! I would highly recommend this firm to assist you. Joe explained each step to me and it was very helpful. I was extremely pleased with the outcome and service this firm provided!!!
Chanel R.
Chanel R.
Read More
Joe honestly works hard on your case and gets it done he is the real deal I absolutely recommend him no doubt !! I will definitely call him again no hesitation about it he’s just awesome !!!!!!!!
Gabriela G.
Gabriela G.
Read More
I highly recommend this place!!! working with Joe was awesome, he's very knowledgeable and communicative answered all my questions. I am grateful for your professionalism and dedication. Thank You so much for your exceptíonal legal help, you did for my husband.
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Rosemary Expungement Lawyer 1
Expungement Attorney

Rosemary Kostopoulos is a dedicated expungement and criminal defense attorney with over 15 years of experience. She has helped numerous clients expunge past mistakes off of their records.

Rosemary received an undergraduate degree from DePaul University and a juris doctorate from the DePaul University College of Law.

Tina P.
Tina P.
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I’m so thankful to both Joe and Rosemary because now with their help I’m able to feel relieved and now will be able to go back to work! Sincerely I strongly recommend … if you need legal representation of any kind...you will not be disappointed.
Kirk W.
Kirk W.
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A friend of mine was in need of legal services . She retained Kostopoulos Law Group and had the most positive and seemly flawless experience. She said Gus, Joe and Rosemary kept her informed and comfortable the whole process. 5 Stars is an understatement for this team.
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gus kostopoulos expungement lawyer 1
Expungement Attorney

Gus Kostopoulos is an expungement and criminal defense attorney with over 20 years of experience.  He is a former prosecutor who has handled thousands of expungement and criminal matters. 

Gus received an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a juris doctorate from the DePaul University College of Law.

Astrid G.
Astrid G.
Read More
Gus is a great lawyer! He got the case dismissed and was very professional and helpful. He answered any questions I had and was understanding when I was nervous. Would recommend him to anyone!
Ron W.
Ron W.
Read More
Gus did an amazing job with my case!!! He was able to get it dismissed without any issues. He is very affordable. He is very on top of your case and keeps you up to date the entire way. Would definitely recommend using this law firm for any cases.
Harris S.
Harris S.
Read More
Gus is very good and honest he is also very quick to get back to me when I have any questions. He is upfront and tells you what the outcome will be and doesn’t lie. He gets the job done and always stays on top of things. He is also very knowledgeable and I can tell he knows what he’s doing. Best lawyer ever!
Previous
Next
joe messineo
Expungement Attorney

Joe Messineo is an experienced expungement and criminal defense attorney dedicated to helping our clients avoid convictions and helping clients expunge convictions from mistakes made in the past.


Joe received an undergraduate degree from DePaul Univesity and a juris doctorate from the University of South Dakota College of Law.

Taylor Y.
Taylor Y.
Read More
Joe was an amazing lawyer. He helped me through every step of the way and he couldn't have made it easier for me! I would highly recommend this firm to assist you. Joe explained each step to me and it was very helpful. I was extremely pleased with the outcome and service this firm provided!!!
Chanel R.
Chanel R.
Read More
Joe honestly works hard on your case and gets it done he is the real deal I absolutely recommend him no doubt !! I will definitely call him again no hesitation about it he’s just awesome !!!!!!!!
Gabriela G.
Gabriela G.
Read More
I highly recommend this place!!! working with Joe was awesome, he's very knowledgeable and communicative answered all my questions. I am grateful for your professionalism and dedication. Thank You so much for your exceptíonal legal help, you did for my husband.
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Why choose Us?

We Get Results

DOMESTIC BATTERY

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We have numerous clients who are charged with domestic battery.  We get most of these cases dismissed on the day of trial. We then file for expungement immediately.  In other cases, the prosecutor agrees to reduce to a lesser charge and give court supervision, in which case,  we can still get the case expunged.

CASE EXPUNGED!

DRUNK DRIVING

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We are often able to win Drunk Driving cases at trial or otherwise get them dismissed. We are then able to immediately file for expungement. 

CASE EXPUNGED!

FELONY NARCOTICS

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We are often able to get narcotics clients special dispositions such as deferral, section 410 probation and TASC. In those cases, we can file to get the felony expunged. 

CASE EXPUNGED!

THEFT CASE

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Our firm often gets both felony and misdemeanor theft cases dismissed without  a conviction.  We are then able to get these matters expunged. 

CASE EXPUNGED!

RETAIL THEFT

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Our firm often gets both felony and misdemeanor retail theft cases dismissed without  a conviction.  We are then able to get these matters expunged. 

CASE EXPUNGED!

OTHER CASES

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There are a vast number of miscellaneous felony and misdemeanor matters that we have succesfully expunged for our clients.

CASE EXPUNGED!

THEFT CASE

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Our firm often gets both felony and misdemeanor theft cases dismissed without  a conviction.  We are then able to get these matters expunged. 

CASE EXPUNGED!

Get Your Free Expungement Consultation

111 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL, 60604
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