1.2 Role of a Pro Bono Attorney

Expungement work is critical for pro bono attorneys because Louisiana also has the most expensive filing costs in the country; each eligible conviction, as well as some arrests, costs between $550 and $600 to expunge. Because determining eligibility for expungement is often the most challenging aspect of the process and because an individual must pay the filing fees even if the court ultimately denies the expungement, an attorney can provide valuable assistance on a limited basis simply by screening an individual for eligibility and providing the necessary information and advice for the person to complete the process pro se. Assistance is critical because it is estimated that currently less than 6.5% of expungement-eligible individuals complete the process.1  

• 1J.J. Prescott & Sonja B. Starr, Expungement of Criminal Convictions: An Empirical Study, 133 Harv. L. Rev. 2460, 2489 (2020).