How DUI Charges Affect Background Checks

Here at The Law Office of James Novak, we help people throughout the greater Phoenix area with various aspects of drunk driving law. This includes DUI defense strategies for hearings and court proceedings as well as advice on what to do if you were previously convicted of drunk driving.

With this in mind, we’d like to focus on how a DUI arrest can affect background checks, and what options are available to people who have been convicted of drunk driving.

A DUI Charge Can Affect Your Life for Years

If you have been convicted of a DUI, it can have major repercussions throughout your life. For one, you will have to pay a number of fines and be required to serve time. In addition, you will often experience issues with license suspension and other restrictions of driving privileges.

One of the major long-term changes to your life that results from a drunk driving conviction, however, involves your criminal record. The DUI will be there on your record, and will be noticed by employers when they perform a background check on you.

A DUI Change Can Potentially Affect Future Employment

DUI convictions carry a major stigma, and when it comes to some occupations, a DUI conviction on your criminal record means that you will not be considered for a job. This can lead to some major issues and limitations with your career path and future employment options.

Considering the Nature of the Conviction and the Job

When a background check is performed, the risk of not getting a job will depend on the nature of the job and the nature of your conviction. Some potential employers may be willing to consider the nature of the DUI charge when it comes to applicants. Even then, the DUI conviction will put you at a disadvantage since people with clean criminal records will likely be considered over you as more suitable candidates for employment.

Setting Aside: Arizona’s Equivalent of Expungement

Given the many disadvantages of having a DUI conviction on your record, many people consider having their DUI conviction set aside. This is the same as expungement in other states, meaning that the past DUI conviction appears as a dismissed charge in background checks. As far as your employer is concerned, a set aside DUI charge means that you were not convicted of drunk driving.

How Setting Aside a DUI Conviction Works

In order to have a DUI charge set aside, a person must have successfully fulfilled their probation and all other court-imposed sentences related to their drunk driving charge. The nature of the drunk driving charge is also important to consider. If you had a simple DUI (i.e., BAC was over 0.08 but there were no injury victims), having the charge set aside is more likely. Aggravating factors in a DUI charge will make the set aside process more difficult or less likely to occur.

Speak with a Drunk Driving Attorney About Setting Aside DUI Charges

If you have a DUI charge and are concerned about how it will affect your future employment and career trajectory, be sure to speak with an attorney about having your DUI set aside. A skilled drunk driving lawyer will be able to answer all of your questions about the process and guide you through each phase of getting the conviction set aside.

Learn More About Background Checks and DUI Charges

To learn more about your legal options following a drunk driving arrest, be sure to contact a skilled DUI defense attorney today. At The Law Office of James Novak, we will provide you with ample information for the road ahead.