Reentry Legal Services (ReLeSe)
If you are looking for free legal help regarding the expungement of a New Jersey criminal record, please click here.
ReLeSe is a program dedicated exclusively to serving the reentry population by helping individuals with criminal records address civil legal matters that are barriers to community re-integration, working to secure fair and equal treatment for these individuals within the legal system and facilitating successful community and family reunification.
Criminal Record Expungement
Expungement has the power to dramatically stabilize someone’s life. This legal relief leaves old mistakes in the past and gives people a second chance. Through this program, volunteer teams (attorneys and non-attorneys) meet with clients during monthly legal clients to determine eligibility for legal relief under New Jersey’s expungement statute (N.J.S.A. 2C:52).
Next, eligible clients receive pro se e-filing assistance thru limited-scope representation by volunteers.
Alternatively, for those who are unable, or it is unadvisable, to proceed pro se (for example, case is complex, requires a discretionary argument be advanced, requires a paper filing, client does not have access to technology, etc.), cases are placed with pro bono attorneys to draft and file petitions for expungement on their behalf.
Lastly, for clients whose pro se expungement petitions receive objections, whose expungement cases are not scheduled for hearing within 60 days in accordance with the statute, or whose expungement final orders are not processed within a reasonable amount of time (60-90 days), volunteers provide limited-scope assistance with answering objections or filing Motions to Enforce Litigant’s Rights.
Court/Docket: New Jersey Superior Court (county dependent on statute requirements).
Format: Virtual advisory clinic via zoom; limited scope representation of e-filing pro se petitions via Zoom, and full representation.
Time Commitment: Virtual advisory clinic (3-4 hours). Limited scope e-filing pro se assistance (~1–5 hours). Full representation (~ 10-15 hours). Training video/material review (~3 hours).
Experience NOT Required: No prior experience is required to volunteer at the legal clinic. If you are interested in providing continued service through drafting and filing of the petition, you will be required to review VLJ’s training materials.
Training Available: VLJ has extensive training materials (written & video) on New Jersey expungement law.
Mentoring: A VLJ staff attorney and/or mentoring attorney is present at all legal clinics to provide assistance and support to volunteers. Mentors for full representation cases are available upon request.
How to sign up?
Complete VLJ’s Volunteer Form (click or tap the button below).
If you work at Audible, Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi, Gibbons, McCarter & English, Merck, Morgan Lewis, Prudential, or Verizon, please talk to your pro bono coordinator about how to get involved.