Have you been a perfect angel your whole life? (I can see you adjusting your halo.) The fact of the matter is that many of us may have suffered from a momentary lapse in good judgment that resulted in an arrest. Pinched!

Unfortunately, while criminal charges may have went nowhere, the arrest record may still trip you up.

What do I mean?

Have you ever had to answer a question on a job or license application like: "Have you ever been arrested?"

See? This can get sticky. You don't want to lie but you would really rather not answer the question either.

Alas, there is hope.

There is a little-known and little-used procedure in most jurisdictions in the United States that allows in appropriate circumstances for a total erasure of an arrest record. Additionally, even if you can't qualify for a total erasure of your background there may be legal ways available to you to hide your background so that at least it will not be easily discoverable by an over-zealous potential employer.

As a licensed attorney, I have used similar legal remedies to assist clients with erasing or hiding minor criminal records. What has been amazing to me is the difference it has made in their lives. For example, I have seen military careers blossom, professional licenses granted and overseas employment gained all because I was able to help tidy up minor criminal blemishes in the lives of otherwise upstanding and law-abiding citizens.

What I am saying is - there may be a way for you to chase off the skeletons in your closet that have long haunted you. The law in many U.S. jurisdictions recognizes the need to grant clean slates and second chances. I don't know whether you qualify. I don't know your circumstances. All I am trying to say is "open your mind to the possibility." Pursue it with an attorney. You never know what good might come.

It is because of the good results I've seen and the apparent lack of wide-spread knowledge in the public at large that I decided to write my book, "The Ultimate Guide to Second Chances: Legal Ways to Erase or Hide Your Criminal Background." Maybe you should check it out.