You may not want nothing more than to put your driving while intoxicated (DWI) charge behind you and resume your life as normal. However, you may be unable to stop this from following you around. This is because this offense may remain on your record even after you serve jail time, pay fines, and clear your other penalties. That said, read on to discover whether a DWI offense appears on a background check and how a seasoned Gloucester County DWI lawyer at The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C. can help you avoid this risk altogether.
Does a DWI offense appear on a background check in New Jersey?
You may feel better knowing that your DWI is not considered a criminal offense, but rather a traffic offense. This means your DWI charge may not appear on your permanent criminal record. However, it may still appear on your permanent driving record. And, unfortunately, a potential employer may look into both records upon conducting a background check against you.
On top of this, it may not ever be possible to expunge your DWI charge from your driving record. This is because an expungement may only be something available for your criminal record.
What are the consequences of having a DWI appear on my record?
Without a doubt, a DWI charge places long-term consequences on many aspects of your life; one of them being your employment opportunities. Below are some career-related consequences of having a DWI appear on your record:
- Potential employers may deny your applications for certain job positions:
- A teacher, daycare worker, or any job that deals with children one-on-one.
- A physician or any job in the healthcare or medical field.
- A truck driver or any job that entails operating commercial vehicles.
- A construction worker or any job that entails operating heavy machinery.
- A government job or any job that entails handling sensitive information.
- Professional boards may deny your application to receive or renew certain professional licenses:
- A professional licensing board for doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, etc.
- A professional licensing board for lawyers.
- A professional licensing board for educators.
- A professional licensing board for accountants.
To avoid all this fallout, you should do everything in your power to fight for a not-guilty verdict in the first place. But if you have already been found guilty of a DWI, you must still fight to reduce the career-related consequences placed against you. For example, you must negotiate for only a temporary suspension of your professional license upon your agreeability to rehabilitative programs and other related courses.
With this, if you require immediate legal representation, look no further than one of the experienced New Jersey & Pennsylvania criminal defense lawyers. Someone at The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C. will happily serve you.
