Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall/Winter 2019 - 12

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Clean Slate Law,

local attorneys lauded at
Berks Pro Bono Celebration
By Stephanie Weaver

W

hen Sharon M. Dietrich started her career as an
employment lawyer in 1987, she quickly realized
how many people were struggling to get jobs
because of minor infractions on their criminal records.

BCBA President Jeffrey A. Franklin

The Hamburg High School and Albright College graduate
said one client told her it was easier for him to get a job when
he got out of jail in the 1970s than now because of what
background screenings have become.

As Dietrich's team at Community Legal Services in
Philadelphia handled more expungement cases each year, they
realized they were only helping a percentage of those who were
eligible to have their records sealed. They reasoned that there
should be a way to run an algorithm in the courts' databases to
identify those who are eligible and just automatically close those
records.
"Easy concept, but a whole lot more difficult to actually
make reality," Dietrich said.

President Judge Thomas G. Parisi

But last year, Dietrich helped make that brainchild a bona
fide law with Act 56, The Clean Slate Law. The law went
into effect June 28th and is expected to seal 31 million cases
statewide by next summer.
"Basically what it does is uses technology to seal people's
records so that they don't have to file individual petitions to
get them sealed," she said. "It may sound obvious, but we
are the first people in the United States of America, here in
Pennsylvania, to do that."
Dietrich shared about the origins and importance of the
innovative law during the Berks County Bar Association's
annual Pro Bono Celebration Oct. 23. The event recognizes
Berks attorneys who support pro bono work and included a
luncheon, two seminars and a reception.

Pennsylvania Bar Association President-Elect David Schwager
12 | Berks Barrister

While much of Dietrich's career helped bring her to this
milestone, she said the moment that gave the bill the most
momentum was when three members of the eventual Super
Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles team joined the fight in



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Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall/Winter 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall/Winter 2019

Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall/Winter 2019 - 1
Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall/Winter 2019 - 2
Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall/Winter 2019 - 3
Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall/Winter 2019 - 4
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