Do you want to clear a criminal record? This lawyer has an app for that

A Rasa team member (left) helps a woman register for the Rasa app at a legal clinic at Arizona State University in Phoenix. Photo courtesy of Rasa.

The consequences for people who clear their criminal records can be life-changing, leading to long-term employment and financial security. And research shows that it also helps prevent recidivism. But the path to expulsion is not always easy, forcing people with criminal records to go through an unfamiliar, costly and lengthy process. That’s where attorney Noella Sudbury comes into the picture.

In 2022, she launched an app called Rasa to provide a quick, cheap and easy solution for people wanting a fresh start, automating the removal process from start to finish.

Sudbury, the first lawyer in her family, says she developed a keen interest in criminal justice reform after working as a public defender. During that time, she saw her clients hit a wall when trying to rent an apartment, take out loans or find a job.

That inspired her to create an app that could tackle the problem at scale, and Rasa is currently available for people trying to clear their data in Utah and Arizona.

In this episode of the Podcast for legal rebelsRasa’s founder and CEO tells ABA Journal’s Matt Reynolds about some of the challenges she faced in getting Rasa off the ground and her plans to expand the app beyond Utah and Arizona.

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In this podcast:

Noella Sudbury. Photo courtesy of Rasa.

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Noella Sudbury. Photo courtesy of Rasa.

Noella Sudbury is a lawyer with more than a decade of experience in criminal law, policy and data-driven justice reform. She led a successful campaign to pass Utah’s Clean Slate law, which automates the eviction process for more than 450,000 Utahns, and has helped other state campaigns pass automatic approval. In her free time, Sudbury enjoys the outdoors and spending time with her two daughters. In 2023, she was hired by Inc. Magazine named one of the 200 Most Dynamic Female Founders in America.

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