---
title: "List the conviction record without calling it spent or sealed"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law/check-whether-a-conviction-is-spent-before-the-client-discloses-it/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A20-W20261018-4-US"
practice_area: "Criminal Law"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# List the conviction record without calling it spent or sealed

> List the court, the date, and the offense as the record states them. Do not say the conviction is spent, sealed, or safe to omit.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law/check-whether-a-conviction-is-spent-before-the-client-discloses-it/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Criminal Law](https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | List the court, the date, and the offense as the record states them. Do not say the conviction is spent, sealed, or safe to omit. |
| What the lawyer must review | You advise on disclosure after you open the statute of the convicting jurisdiction. No sealing, expungement, or spent-conviction statute was opened. Model Rule 3.3(a)(1) forbids a knowing false statement of fact to a tribunal, including a statement that a conviction does not exist when the record shows it. Model Rule 1.4(b) is the explanation you give the client about what the record shows and what you have not yet checked. Formal Opinion 512 applies before the record goes into a tool. A conclusion that disclosure is unnecessary is yours, and only after the statute is open. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Check whether a conviction is spent before the client discloses it](https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law/check-whether-a-conviction-is-spent-before-the-client-discloses-it.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: List the court, the date, and the offense as the record states them. Do not say the conviction is spent, sealed, or safe to omit.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- A federal sentencing factor is not a sealing rule. Section 3553 was not used for that purpose.
- Do not tell the client the conviction can be left off a form.

## Sources

- [ABA Model Rule 3.3, Candor toward the Tribunal](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_3_3_candor_toward_the_tribunal/) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Model Rule 1.4, Communications](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_4_communications/) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Commonwealth spent conviction screen before a client is asked to disclose](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/criminal-law/cth-spent-conviction-screen.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Screen for the Commonwealth Spent Convictions Scheme as the OAIC describes it. It records the waiting period, the 30-month imprisonment limit and the exclusions named on that page.… |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*