Are You Facing an Underage Drinking Charge? Keeping a Clean Record is Critical
In Virginia, you could be charged with an underage drinking violation if you are found to be purchasing, possessing or consuming alcohol while under the age of twenty-one. These charges must be taken seriously; you do not want an underage drinking charge to haunt you down the road. If you or your child has been charged with underage drinking, contact an experienced underage drinking lawyer as soon as possible.
The Importance of a Clean Record
Keeping a clean record allows you to comfortably put an underage drinking charge behind you. Without a clean record, your underage drinking charge could affect:
- Admittance to college or graduate school;
- Applications for a mortgage or a new apartment rental;
- Job applications; or
- Professional licensing and certification.
This information is not to scare you, your attorney will not let an underage drinking charge ruin your life. But, having this type of charge on your record can create some real headaches. Your number one priority needs to be keeping your record clean.
Keeping an Underage Drinking Charge Off Your Record
Pre-adjudication dispositions
Under Virginia law, your attorney will often be able to keep your underage drinking charge off your record by getting you accepted into a community service program. These programs, known as pre-adjudication dispositions, are agreements between the court and the charged person. Upon successful completion of the community service, the person charged with underage drinking will not have any criminal conviction on their record. However, there will likely still be a record that a citation was issued. But, you should be able to get that removed as well.
Expungement
Expungement is a court-ordered process that officially seals the records of a charge or a conviction from the eyes of the public. A citation is not a conviction, and therefore you should be able to get any record of your underage drinking citation expunged upon the completion of your community service obligations. Further, in the event that you are convicted of underage drinking, expungement is even more important.
Contact An Experienced Virginia Underage Drinking Lawyer
At the Shannon & Associates Law Offices, we help high school and college students keep their permanent records clean. If your teenager is still in high school, or you are a student at any local college, please do not hesitate to contact our office today at (757) 228-5529. We offer free initial legal consultations.
