Beth Ann Johnson

I became a lawyer because I wanted to make a difference in the world and fight against discriminatory policies and unjust laws. Since becoming a lawyer in 2005, I have had the honor and privilege to practice in an area of law that allowed me to work alongside clients to restore their rights and partner with advocates and organizations to change the laws and practices that took those rights away in the first place: removing barriers caused by arrests and convictions.

I started my career in legal aid, where I worked for fourteen years, before co-founding our social justice law firm, Rights and Restoration Law Group, in 2019. When I first became a lawyer, “criminal records” law was more of a novelty and not one that many attorneys practiced in. Not only was I able to represent thousands of clients in all areas of criminal records mitigation through courts and administrative proceedings, I also supervised and trained program staff and hundreds of pro bono attorneys to learn this area of law and provide compassionate representation to clients.

For the past ten years, I worked alongside individuals, coalitions, and organizations to change laws that result in a lifetime of barriers, successfully passing thirteen bills, including expanding and improving Illinois’ expungement and sealing laws, removing barriers to employment in specific industries, and increasing protections for people with past arrests and convictions. I’ve traveled the state to build capacity of different jurisdictions to provide criminal records services, including, Rockford, Peoria, Champaign, Danville, Bloomington, and Kankakee, and represent clients throughout the State of Illinois.

When someone comes to me or my firm, they should know we approach every case with your goal in mind – what is it that you need, and how can we work alongside you to get to that goal. We walk you through every option available so you understand the laws and process and can make an informed decision on what path to take.