People seeking to expunge their criminal records in Lake County, IL have less hurdles to face, thanks to the hard work of Coalition Legal, the county’s only free expungement legal aid clinic.
Attorneys and staff at Coalition Legal played an instrumental role in convincing Lake County Clerk Erin Cartwright Weinstein and the Lake County Board to reduce the filing fees for expungement petitions as well as the number of forms required to complete the process.
On July 11, 2023, the Lake County Board approved an ordinance that caps the filing fee at a flat rate of $160 for people who do not qualify for a fee waiver, compared to $72 per criminal case under the old system. The ordinance also uses the single state form that covers multiple cases. In the past, a person with 10 cases would pay $720 and file 10 petitions – a prohibitive fee and overwhelming paperwork for many working people.
This decision to simplify and economize the expungement process makes Lake County a leader in the state and opens new doors for residents who are seeking to expunge their old records.
“After nine months of working on this issue, we are proud to have played a key role in convincing the leaders of Lake County to ease the expungements process. Now, many more hard-working residents will enjoy a fresh start and new opportunities to get good jobs, pay taxes, find stable housing, and live the American dream,” said Stephen Miller, Coalition Legal Managing Attorney, who spearheaded this effort. “I especially want to thank Lake County Clerk Erin Cartwright Weinstein, along with Sandy Hart, Gina Roberts, and Mary Ross Cunningham of the Lake County Board, as well as State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart for pulling together to pass this important legislation. We thank them for their foresight and vision to help Lake County residents on their path to economic self-sufficiency and stable housing.”
Coalition Legal offers free, individualized, and personal legal representation to people who can’t afford an attorney get their records sealed or expunged under Illinois law — changing lives and making productive citizens.
