Expungement Licensing Sealing Clemency Employment Other Remedies For Individuals For Employers
Sealing Conviction Records Illinois
 

LEGAL PATHWAYS
to a BRIGHTER FUTURE 

 
 
 
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A Bridge Forward works with individuals tired of being stigmatized and stymied by their criminal history.

Individuals

Nowadays, keeping your criminal background a secret is impossible. Criminal records do not disappear on their own, regardless of their age. A Bridge Forward removes your criminal background from the prying eyes of employers, landlords,

licensing agencies, and college admissions. Sign up for a free consultation and learn how your background can be eliminated and your future preserved.

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Employers

Today, HR professionals responsible for employer recruitment face an increasingly complicated matrix of federal, state, and local laws. A Bridge Forward is uniquely positioned to guide HR professionals through this legal maze, along with 

through this legal maze, along with interpreting criminal background reports, and helping employers evaluate whether a person with a criminal background is a liability or an asset.

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Expungement

Wish you could get rid of that arrest record? Take Peter Quill’s (Guardians of the Galaxy) advice: Expunge it!

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Licensing

Don’t apply for a professional or occupational license without expunging or sealing your criminal record first.

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Sealing

Think your Illinois conviction can’t be sealed? Check again. Today, most Illinois convictions are eligible for sealing. 

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Clemency

Want to eliminate a statutory barrier to licensing, reinstate your gun rights, or expunge a conviction? We can help you petition for clemency.

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Employment

One-third of the U.S. population has a criminal record. What procedures do you have to evaluate these job applicants?

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“I believe in the importance of giving people a second chance. There is nothing more gratifying than seeing someone feel whole again. ”
— Ina Silvergleid, founder of A Bridge Forward

Ina tirelessly advocates for her clients, mining their personal stories to better understand why they came to be arrested or convicted. She also takes great pains to ensure that clients understand what legal remedies are being employed and why. Ina is the first to admit that helping people overcome criminal record barriers sometimes means wearing multiple hats - all at the same time. Most of the time, Ina wears her attorney hat. At other times, Ina can be found wearing a career counselor, job finder, therapist, or friend hat. 

Ina tells clients that her role as legal advocate does not include judging them for their past mistakes.

 
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WHAT THEY SAY

Client Praise

 
Testimonials

“I am exceedingly grateful to Ina for her sincere compassion and legal assistance during a challenging time in my life. Her professionalism, expertise, and passion in this field of law are remarkable, and surpassed my expectations.”

- Katherine

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“Even after our first meeting, I felt better. Ina's professional yet compassionate manner put me at ease and I began to believe that, with her assistance, the burden of this old, destructive, record dogging me might finally come to an end.”

- Brandon

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“Ina is as experienced and knowledgeable as the best attorneys in her field, but what places her apart is her high integrity, passion for justice and compassion for her clients. She sees her clients as people who suffer and need help, unlike others I have met. She always put my interests above her own ambitions and was most accommodating in finding best solutions. I am extremely grateful for being her client and I would highly recommend her to anyone.”

- Sergey

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“When Ina began working with me, due to new legislation, I was ineligible for licensure. I was afraid that my situation was hopeless. Ina took it as a challenge, identified inconsistencies between the intent of the new legislation and its impact, actively supported Senate Bill 42 which amended the legislation and I succeeded in having my case heard and license granted which many people thought was impossible.”

- Gary

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“Ina’s ability to take stark legal jargon and explain it in everyday terms helped me understand my complex legal responsibilities.”

- Kevin

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“Ina Silvergleid was recently able to help me with my situation. I contacted Ina regarding my inability to obtain a FOID Card due to me having a felony conviction. Ina was responded promptly to my inquiry. Ina asked me to send her specific information so she could start looking into my problem.

To my surprise I was never convicted of a felony, it was a misdemeanor. Ina helped me submit the documents to have my record corrected and also have my misdemeanor conviction sealed.”

- Carl

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Additional Resouces

Recent News
As a Convicted Felon, Can I Vote in November?

Can someone convicted of a felony vote in the upcoming presidential election?

  • Most states bar a convicted felon from voting while s/he serves time in prison

  • Only three jurisdictions, D.C., Maine, and Vermont, do not disenfranchise citizens convicted of a felony

  • A majority of state automatically restore voting rights to individuals once released from prison or after completing all their sentence terms (e.g., parole, probation, payment of fees/restitution)

  • Voting rights are not automatically restored in six states; individuals in these states must satisfy additional conditions before their rights are restored

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What Should a Legal Permanent Resident Do After Being Charged with a Crime?

What steps should a Legal Permanent Resident take after getting arrested?

  • Immediately inform your defense attorney that you are not a U.S. citizen

  • Try to find a defense attorney familiar with the immigration ramifications of being convicted of a crime

  • If financially feasible, hire an immigration attorney to assist defense counsel in obtaining an outcome in the criminal case that will preserve your current and future immigration plans

  • If a plea deal is to be negotiated, the prosecutor should be informed of your legal status, as well as the immigration consequences you are seeking to avoid

  • If your case goes to trial before a judge or jury, the judge should be made aware of your legal status and attendant immigration consequences

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Think Twice Before Paying an Out-of-State Attorney to Expunge or Seal Your IL Criminal Record

Why would anyone hire an out-of-state attorney to expunge or seal their criminal record? In recent years, a number of out-of-state businesses have sprung up offering bargain rate expungement/sealing services.

When someone hires an out-of-state practitioner/entity instead of a local attorney, there’s no guarantee that outsider will be familiar with the local practices of the court who’ll rule on the petition.

Any Illinois attorney who regularly practices in this area knows all too well that from one court district to the next (in Cook County) or from one county to the next, the state’s expungement/sealing law is not interpreted or applied the same way from one judge to the next.

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