Quick Overview
- A good expungement attorney should include: eligibility review, petition preparation, court filing, any required hearing appearances, and service of the order on government agencies.
- If cost is a barrier, explore these free or low-cost options: For more information, visit the LawHelp.
- After legal expungement, your court records often still appear in Google search results, legal databases, and background check sites.
100% Results-Based PricingYou pay only once the court record link is gone from Google search results. No retainer, no upfront fee.
Expungement Attorney Cost Ranges
| Case Type | Typical Attorney Fee | Court Filing Fee | Total Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple misdemeanor (1 charge) | $700-$1,500 | $50-$300 | $750-$1,800 |
| Multiple misdemeanors | $1,000-$2,500 | $100-$600 | $1,100-$3,100 |
| Felony (non-violent) | $1,500-$3,500 | $150-$400 | $1,650-$3,900 |
| DUI expungement | $1,000-$2,500 | $75-$400 | $1,075-$2,900 |
| Multiple counties / jurisdictions | $2,000-$5,000+ | Multiple fees | $2,500-$6,000+ |
| Contested hearing | +$500-$1,500 | N/A | Add to above |
What Determines the Price?
Several factors drive expungement attorney costs:
- Number of charges - Each charge typically adds to the flat fee
- Number of jurisdictions - Separate petitions required in each county = higher cost
- Case complexity - Felonies, contested hearings, and unusual dispositions cost more
- Attorney experience - Specialists with expungement track records charge more than general practitioners
- Geographic market - San Francisco, New York, and Miami cost 50-100% more than smaller markets
- What's included - Does the fee include court appearances? Agency follow-up? Get this in writing
What Expungement Attorneys Typically Include (and Don't)
A good expungement attorney should include: eligibility review, petition preparation, court filing, any required hearing appearances, and service of the order on government agencies. For more information, visit the ABA.
What most don't include: notification of Google, removal requests to legal databases, opt-outs from data broker sites, or monitoring for internet re-population. These require a separate service. Learn more about court record removal on our blog.
Free Alternatives to Paid Attorneys
If cost is a barrier, explore these free or low-cost options: For more information, visit the LawHelp.
- Legal aid organizations - Free for income-qualified individuals. Many have dedicated expungement programs.
- Court self-help clinics - Free assistance at the courthouse completing your forms
- Law school clinics - Free under attorney supervision; some have waitlists
- Nonprofit expungement clinics - Many communities host periodic record-clearing events
- Self-representation - For simple cases, many people successfully self-file using state court forms
After Expungement: The Internet Cleanup Cost
After legal expungement, your court records often still appear in Google search results, legal databases, and background check sites. This requires a separate removal process - contacting each platform individually, submitting Google de-indexing requests, and monitoring for re-population. This is a distinct service from what expungement attorneys provide, with its own cost structure based on the scope of platforms involved. For more information, visit the Legal Services Corp.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Expungement attorney fees range from $500 to $3,500+ for a straightforward case, with most falling in the $1,000-$2,500 range. Simple misdemeanor expungements in states with streamlined processes tend to cost less ($500-$1,500). Complex cases involving multiple charges, felony reduction petitions, or contested hearings cost significantly more. Court filing fees ($75-$500) are typically separate from attorney fees.
Flat fees are almost always preferable for expungement work. Expungement is a defined-scope project - eligibility review, petition preparation, filing, hearing representation, and agency service. Most experienced expungement attorneys charge flat fees precisely because the scope is predictable. Hourly billing can result in cost uncertainty and incentivizes inefficiency. Always confirm what the flat fee includes before signing.
Yes, through several channels. Legal aid organizations (income-qualified) provide free expungement representation. Law school expungement clinics offer free help under licensed attorney supervision. Nonprofit record-clearing organizations like Clean Slate projects operate in many states. Community expungement fairs allow attorneys to process multiple cases in a single day at no cost. The Legal Services Corporation (lsc.gov) maintains a directory of legal aid providers by state.
Court filing fees (paid to the court clerk) are almost always separate and can range from $75 to $500 depending on the state and county. Some attorneys also charge separately for: certified copies of court records needed to verify eligibility, fees for obtaining your state criminal history report, and travel expenses for in-person hearings in distant jurisdictions. Always ask for a complete fee breakdown before hiring.
Significantly. California expungements typically cost $700-$2,500 for attorney fees; Texas $1,500-$3,000; New York $1,500-$3,500; Indiana $1,000-$2,500; Illinois $800-$2,000; Florida $1,000-$2,500. States with more complex eligibility rules, mandatory hearings, or multiple-court filings (like Indiana's one-jurisdiction-per-court requirement) tend to cost more. The ABA (americanbar.org) maintains resources for finding affordable legal services in every state.
Online expungement document preparation services charge $150-$500 to prepare your petition paperwork but do not provide legal advice or court representation. They can be adequate for extremely simple cases in states with clear, straightforward eligibility rules. However, they cannot represent you at hearings, advise on whether a 17(b) reduction makes sense, or handle prosecutorial objections. For any case with complexity, the modest additional cost of an actual attorney is well worth it.
Many attorneys are willing to negotiate on fees, particularly for clients with financial hardship or straightforward cases. Strategies include: asking for a payment plan; requesting a reduced fee for a case the attorney reviews as simple; getting multiple quotes from different attorneys; or exploring legal aid first to see if you qualify for free help. The lawhelp.org directory can identify low-cost options in your state.
No. Expungement attorney fees cover the legal court process only. Removing records from Google, Justia, background check sites, and data broker platforms is a separate service not provided by expungement attorneys. Even after a successful expungement, your record may still appear in online search results. Internet removal is handled by specialized services and typically charged separately.
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