When I was 17 I was arrested for shoplifting around $90 in Alabama (far away from my home state). I paid a fine but never went to court. It was stupid and I'm definitely a different person now, but I'm worried about how this could affect my upcoming law school applications and my bar exam. I was hoping that you guys could help me with a few questions.
1. Was the record automatically sealed when I turned 18, or is this something that I have to request? If I need to request that the record is sealed, how long will the process take and how much will it cost? Anyone know if I'll have to go back to Alabama to have this done?
2. I'm not sure if I was convicted of a misdemeanor, or just fined for a violation. Does anyone have any idea about this?
3. I need to get the record but I wanted a relative in Alabama to get it for me so I don't have to travel. Can anyone walk into the county courthouse and get this record, or will they have trouble getting the record because I was a minor when this happened?
4. Last of all, do you guys think this will show up on a routine background check? I mean, I don't live anywhere near Alabama and it was an offense as a minor, so I think someone would have to do a pretty serious nationwide check before this would turn up. What do you guys think?
Thanks so much for any advice anyone can give me - I really appreciate your help.
1. Was the record automatically sealed when I turned 18, or is this something that I have to request? If I need to request that the record is sealed, how long will the process take and how much will it cost? Anyone know if I'll have to go back to Alabama to have this done?
2. I'm not sure if I was convicted of a misdemeanor, or just fined for a violation. Does anyone have any idea about this?
3. I need to get the record but I wanted a relative in Alabama to get it for me so I don't have to travel. Can anyone walk into the county courthouse and get this record, or will they have trouble getting the record because I was a minor when this happened?
4. Last of all, do you guys think this will show up on a routine background check? I mean, I don't live anywhere near Alabama and it was an offense as a minor, so I think someone would have to do a pretty serious nationwide check before this would turn up. What do you guys think?
Thanks so much for any advice anyone can give me - I really appreciate your help.
