Timothy Farrow has been telling his clients for years now to be very careful about pleading guilty to a criminal offense, even if it is just a “minor misdemeanor”. The main consequence of course is employment. With the expansion of the internet, background checks are much easier to conduct. It used to be only possible to obtain a background check through the NJ State Police. Now just type it into google and you will see pages and pages of sites and companies that do them. Also unfortunately largely due to aggressive employment lawyers, employers are more and more concerned about hiring a person with a criminal record.
In addition to this issue, Farrow has also started advising clients of other potential background checks they might face. These include community and school-related activities involving children. Even something as simple a serving as an assistant little league coach now requires a background check in most towns. This latest news with NJ school board members being terminated due to background check issues is of no surprise. Some members are facing removal based on procedural issues in obtaining a check, but a large amount of terminations are due to actual records.
It might be hard for some in the public to believe that people in a position like a school board could have a criminal record, but based on some common misdemeanors it is not surprising. Picture an 18 or 19 year old charged with Underage Drinking; Disorderly Conduct based on intoxication or related behavior; Simple Assault based on a stupid fight; or Shoplifting for sticking a candy bar in their pocket. The “kid” goes to court and the prosecutor tells them they will just get a small fine, so they plead guilty. Twenty years later they are on a school board. Did they ever think that stupid night in college would cause them to get kicked off the school board?
So please contact an attorney like Timothy Farrow if you or your child faces a criminal offense. If you have already made the mistake of pleading guilty, contact him about an expungement. An expungement will remove the record and seal it from potential exposure.
For more about school board background checks, see the following story:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/nj_orders_200_school_board_mem.html
Timothy Farrow, of Dash Farrow, LLP, is an experienced criminal defense attorney and former Prosecutor who handles these offense and crimes, misdemeanors, and traffic offense of all levels. When you need experienced, focused, and responsive legal help, call Dash Farrow, LLP at 856-235-8300 or contact us online. We serve individuals and businesses throughout Burlington and Camden County and all of South Jersey.
