Boston Start Anew Clinic

The Boston Start Anew clinic will be held on Friday, November 1, 2024, at the Dee Kennedy Family Justice Center (989 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215). Please join us at any time between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

The Boston Start Anew clinic will be offering the following services, at no cost to attendees:

Image of the George Washington statue in boston. c. 1859 in the public garden

How to Get Here:

Image of Commonwealth Avenue with brownstone row houses and parked cars in the Back Bay area of downtown Boston

Parking

There is very limited street parking available on both sides of Commonwealth and nearby side streets. Please be mindful of resident only parking signs. Visitor spots typically have a two-hour time limit.

There are some parking garages nearby, available for a fee. If possible, it is recommended to reserve a spot in advance.

  • 428 Cambridge Street Parking
  • 80 Malvern Street Parking
  • Lot B Langsam Garage
  • 140-154 N Beacon St Parking
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Public Transportation Options

  • Green Line: The Babcock Street station on the Green Line, B branch, is right next to the Family Justice Center (FJC). Alternatively, you can also walk from any of the Hawes Street, Kent Street, Saint Paul Street, or Coolidge Corner stations on the Green Line, C branch. The walk is approximately 20 minutes.

  • Buses: The 57 bus (between Watertown Yard and Kenmore Station) stops closest to the FJC. The 66 bus (between Harvard Square and Nubian Station) stops at an approximately 15-minute walk away from the FJC.

Building Information

Our clinic will be held in the large conference room, nearby smaller rooms, and Dress for Success Boutique in the Dee Kennedy Family Justice Center. All rooms are on the first floor accessible from the main entrance.

In the interest of full transparency, please note that this is a public works building, and the domestic violence division of the Boston Police Department is located upstairs.

Seeking Conviction Relief? Here's What to Expect:

The Boston Start Anew Clinic is offering free conviction relief consultations for certain criminal charges and convictions.

You may be eligible to have your prior criminal charges and convictions vacated, expunged, or sealed. Our attorneys will be available to meet with you one-on-one at the clinic to listen to your story and explain the requirements and process for these three avenues of conviction relief.

These discussions are entirely confidential. Any supporting documentation you have available, such as copies of criminal records, court dockets, police reports, or personal notes, is helpful, but is not required.

If there is a possibility that one or more of these three avenues of relief might apply to you, our attorneys will follow up with you after the clinic to discuss next steps.

Below is an overview of the three avenues for conviction relief:

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Vacating the Conviction

Is your offense related to prostitution or simple drug possession and committed as a result of being trafficked? Did it result in a conviction, adjudication of delinquency, or continuance without a finding? If so, you may qualify to have your offense vacated. When a conviction is vacated, a plea of not guilty is entered on your record. If we determine, after your consultation, that you may be eligible to have your conviction vacated, we will follow up with you after the clinic to discuss next steps.

Expungement

Did your offense occur before your 21st birthday? Do you have no more than two criminal records? If your offense is a misdemeanor, have at least three years passed since completion of any sentence for that offense? If your offense is a felony, have at least seven years passed since completion of any sentence for that offense? If so, your offense may qualify for expungement, provided that you are not under any active criminal investigations by any criminal justice agency. When convictions are expunged, they are erased from your record.

Even if your offense meets the above requirements, there are several categories of offenses that do not qualify for expungement. If expungement could potentially apply to your offense, our attorneys will follow up with you after the clinic to discuss next steps.

Sealing

Have at least three years passed since your conviction, not guilty verdict, or finding of no probable cause for a misdemeanor offense? Have at least seven years passed since your conviction, not guilty verdict, or finding of no probable cause for a felony offense? If so, your offense may qualify for sealing. When a record is sealed, most people (other than law enforcement, courts, or appointing authority) cannot look at your sealed court file, and if asked about your record, the Commissioner of Probation must report “no report exists.” You may also answer “I have no record” when asked about your offense by others, including employers, landlords, housing authorities, and occupational licensors.

If sealing could potentially apply to your offense, our attorneys will follow up with you after the clinic to discuss next steps.