Emily Ochs joined Land of Lincoln’s Eastern Regional Office nearly 8 years ago. Prior to joining Land of Lincoln, she was a swim instructor at the local YMCA and has been teaching swim lessons for 23 years.
Emily is from a small farm town in central Illinois, but has lived in Champaign for nearly two decades. She has two rescue dogs who are like her kids, and she is hoping to add more to her household soon.
Briefly describe what you do at Land of Lincoln.
I am a paralegal specializing in sealing/expunging criminal records. I process intakes then research a person’s criminal background, speak with and advice the client on what they are eligible for, draft their paperwork, and keep track of the cases while they go through the courts. I am also the Fridge Fairy in our office, cleaning and keeping it tidy!
What is the best thing about your job?
The best thing about my job is giving hope to those that have none or feel they will be weighed down forever from their past mistakes. It is such a wonderful feeling to know they feel someone is in their corner! I truly have the best clients.
What has been one of your proudest moments working at Land of Lincoln?
Two years ago I had a client who wanted help with her records so her children would not know she was a convicted felon and so she could start her life over, in a better way. We were able to get two records expunged for her since she was in a waiting period for another year. I was never able to reach her about her order being granted and later found out why. Her mother contacted me when she got my letter and informed me that her daughter had been murdered about six months prior. She was trying hard to get her life together and had a chance encounter with the wrong person.
By this time, her waiting period on her two felony convictions had lapsed and her mother asked if it would be possible to have the two remaining records sealed. Since the client was deceased and she would normally be the petitioner, I had my law student, Managing Attorney, and another attorney who knew probate in our office look into the law and nothing like this had been attempted in Illinois.
We asked the State’s Attorney if she would object to trying to seal the record on the courts end only since the client’s mother was more concerned about the client’s children being about to see that their mother was a convicted felon if they went on the clerk’s site. The State’s Attorney was behind us on it, and we filed a motion to seal the two records only with the local court and clerk’s site. The Judge granted the order and the cases were sealed. While it didn’t bring her daughter back, our client’s mother knew that what her daughter wanted so badly was finally done.
What do you like to do when you aren’t working?
I have two rescue dogs, so my boyfriend and I spend a lot of time (and money) giving them the best life possible. We also help drive for Kentucky Mobile Mutts most Saturdays, transporting dogs from high kill shelters in the southern part of the U.S. to foster homes in Chicago, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. It is how we got our two babies!
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
I have had every color of hair in the rainbow and went to school for photography. Oh and I even taught a dog how to swim!
What do you wish other people knew about Land of Lincoln?
That we care about all of our clients and work hard daily to give them the best outcome we can.