Grand Jury, Questions 23a & 23b
Question 23(a) asks if you have ever received a subpoena, a target letter or an information letter letting you know you are the subject of a grand jury investigation. This information should be in a criminal history report. If you were not indicted or charged by the grand jury or if you were offered or given immunity, as noted in 23(b), from a criminal proceeding in return for testifying, you still must obtain the information in order to report it.
Felonies, Questions 19a, 19b, 19c, 19d and 19e
Subpart 19(a) asks for disclosure of any felony accusation, even if that charge was later dismissed, reduced, or "bound down."
Subpart 19(b) breaks that down to actual felony convictions.
Question 19(c), goes into further detail whether any sort of incarceration was imposed, even if the incarceration portion of the sentence was suspended.
Probation is covered in Question 19(d).
If your civil rights were restored after a felony conviction, Part 19(e) of this question calls for a positive response.
Background and criminal history ‘checks’ or ‘reports’ contain varying information depending what entity you obtain it from, but at a minimum, they contain information on whether the person has been arrested and/or convicted of a crime. A criminal history report will include both felonies and misdemeanors for the reported person.
Expunged, sealed, or juvenile records may not be covered in the report (see Special Note below). Typically, criminal records can be obtained only at the state level, unless you are an authorized agency. Therefore, make a note of every state where you may have a record, and obtain a report from that state.
Special Note: A criminal history record will not include expunged or sealed criminal information, nor will it include juvenile records unless the criminal record would have been for a felony if it were committed by an adult. Therefore, it is critical to unseal and petition the appropriate court to get this information released as well. You may have to contact the court either in writing or by calling.
In Florida, information about criminal history can be obtained from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The report is for Florida only, and there is a fee associated with the report.
You can submit a request for a Criminal History Summary Check directly to the FBI Identity History Summary Check which includes arrests made by reporting agencies.
Misdemeanors, Question 20
This question covers all non-felony criminal and ordinance violations from age 16.
Criminal records in most states can be obtained online. There is usually a fee associated with obtaining the record whether you get the record online or mail your request to the appropriate agency or court.
The following are helpful steps to ensure you find all misdemeanors and other criminal history records information:
To search for criminal records in any state, you need to know the jurisdiction in which the crime was committed. Individual clerks of court will have criminal record searches.
Keep in mind that different courts classify cases differently. To respond accurately to the questions related to felonies or misdemeanors, you will have to parse out offenses by type.
Remember that any sealed or expunged criminal records will have to be unsealed or unexpunged as part of your bar application process.
For a fee, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) will provide a detailed criminal record history for Florida offenses.
For a criminal records search use the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) website.
To search criminal, traffic and other legal proceeding records, use Duval County Public Records search. You can request records or search the online portal yourself.
If your criminal records are sealed, you will need to unseal them for access. Use a sample Order to Unseal and Reseal Records from the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.
This listing for all Florida counties provides the street address and phone numbers for all Florida Clerk of the County Courts Offices.