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Chatham County DA, Devetter Law Firm, & Local Pastor Partner to Host a Community-Based Expungement Clinic

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Friday, June 7th, 2024

 Local Pastor Andre J. Osborne of First Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church (“First Tab”) is not only using his platform to preach the gospel, but to serve the local community by focusing on issues of social justice, fairness, and reform during what he calls “Justice June Month.” “First Tab,” as it is affectionately called, serves the community in many ways, but the month of June is specifically set aside to focus on criminal justice issues through community education, voter awareness and justice initiatives. This year’s focus will be on record restrictions, formerly known as expungements. Although First Tab has sponsored expungement clinics for many years, this year’s initiative started with an informational Zoom call on June 3rd, which will be followed up by the upcoming clinic on Monday, June 10, 2024, and will be buttressed by other judicial and community stakeholders.

Without question, any conversation about expungements, restrictions or clinics would be incomplete without the voice of local attorney Nancy DeVetter, one of Georgia’s foremost experts in expungement law. Since 2021, the DeVetter Law Firm has been a cornerstone of the community, offering monthly expungement clinics every second Monday at various locations around Savannah. These clinics provide vital assistance to individuals seeking to clear their criminal records, thereby enhancing employment opportunities and their overall quality of life.

The DeVetter Law Firm has partnered with the Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP) which offers intake and guidance for their free legal services program to further assist with more complicated restrictions that require court involvement. This work is further supported by other local organizations to include the DEEP Center, ARCS Task Force and Filling the Gap, Inc. Together, DeVetter and these partners strive to break down barriers faced by over 4 million Georgians, who struggle to secure employment, housing, education. military enrollment, and medical care opportunities because of their criminal records. DeVetter and her team work tirelessly to educate the community about the “Second Chance Law.” Her monthly clinics are intentionally based in the community on a

rotating basis to increase outreach and accessibility for those individuals in need of this service.
Typically, interested applicants would have to purchase and obtain their official criminal record from a law enforcement agency before attending a clinic. However, for this event, they need only bring a valid ID. The District Attorney’s Office will be present to run criminal histories, determine eligibility and restrict records on- site for qualified applicants at no cost. Those who do not qualify for immediate restriction or who require more in-depth legal support will be able to meet with DeVetter, her team and other community partners who will be on-site to assist.

Details for this month’s clinic are as follows:
Community Based Expungement Clinic

First Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church 310 Alice Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401
Monday, June 10, 2024 5p.m. – 7p.m.
• For information about other monthly clinics and record restrictions in general, please visit the DeVetter Law Firm’s Website at https://devetterlaw.com/expungement-clinics
• To pre-register for the June 10th event, please email [email protected]. Though not required, pre-registration is strongly encouraged to secure a spot as participants will be seen on a first-come first-served basis.