Dealing With An Arrest and How It Will Impact Job Opportunities in the Future

People make mistakes regularly with some being illegal leading them to be arrested. A person doesn’t have to have knowledge that something is illegal to be arrested. This can present a reasonable defense in court but ignorance usually is not the best claim to defend your actions. One of the worst feelings is knowing that your place of employment might find out about the arrest. There could be a section in the employee handbook about arrests that require employees to tell the company. Failure leading to termination makes this quite the decision to make as you might be terminated regardless. The following are tips to dealing with an arrest and how to make sure it doesn’t impact future job opportunities. 

Hire an Experienced Attorney 

Finding the right DWI lawyer Raleigh can make all of the difference. You might have been pulled over for unjust reasons or perhaps you were not given your rights. The right attorney might have worked with a prosecutor in the past so they understand how hard it is to get a plea deal or the charges dropped. The last thing you want is to have to go to jail for an extended period of time. An attorney might be able to work out some sort of deal where you go to jail on weekends so you retain employment. 

Look to Expunge the Arrest From Your Record 

There are arrests that can be expunged after a period of time. You might have to wait a certain amount of time for this to happen. Not all charges can be expunged in a reasonable amount of time as some DWI charges can stay on a driving record for 75 years. Consult a legal professional about this as having an arrest expunged allows you to avoid explaining this arrest to a potential employer. These conversations can be awkward and completely change the energy in a job interview. You are going to have to invest a decent amount of money into this so make sure you have this cash readily available. 

Your Current Employer

If you automatically are going to be fired due to an arrest and are not legally required to tell your job,, you shouldn’t. Some states have very private court records and mugshots cannot be easily looked up. Florida has a huge issue with the privacy of those that are arrested as their mugshots are put all over the internet. If you do not believe that your company will check your background after years of loyal work, not telling them is not a big deal. You shouldn’t address your arrest until you have gone through the entire process with the courts. You might have your charges reduced or completely dropped so keep the arrest quiet for the time being. 

Arrests can impact your career for years if the arrest directly prohibits you from doing your job. Otherwise, you can continue to apply to jobs and you will need to come up with a palatable explanation for an arrest. Less serious arrests can easily be brushed off with the excuse of being young.

Hire an Experienced Attorney 

Finding the right DWI lawyer Raleigh can make all of the difference. You might have been pulled over for unjust reasons or perhaps you were not given your rights. The right attorney might have worked with a prosecutor in the past so they understand how hard it is to get a plea deal or the charges dropped. The last thing you want is to have to go to jail for an extended period of time. An attorney might be able to work out some sort of deal where you go to jail on weekends so you retain employment. 

Look to Expunge the Arrest From Your Record 

There are arrests that can be expunged after a period of time. You might have to wait a certain amount of time for this to happen. Not all charges can be expunged in a reasonable amount of time as some DWI charges can stay on a driving record for 75 years. Consult a legal professional about this as having an arrest expunged allows you to avoid explaining this arrest to a potential employer. These conversations can be awkward and completely change the energy in a job interview. You are going to have to invest a decent amount of money into this so make sure you have this cash readily available. 

Your Current Employer

If you automatically are going to be fired due to an arrest and are not legally required to tell your job,, you shouldn’t. Some states have very private court records and mugshots cannot be easily looked up. Florida has a huge issue with the privacy of those that are arrested as their mugshots are put all over the internet. If you do not believe that your company will check your background after years of loyal work, not telling them is not a big deal. You shouldn’t address your arrest until you have gone through the entire process with the courts. You might have your charges reduced or completely dropped so keep the arrest quiet for the time being. 

Arrests can impact your career for years if the arrest directly prohibits you from doing your job. Otherwise, you can continue to apply to jobs and you will need to come up with a palatable explanation for an arrest. Less serious arrests can easily be brushed off with the excuse of being young.