“Criminal Law, Politics, and Redemption” Meet Lawrence Blackmon

Sometimes the smallest moments from your past can become the biggest barriers to your future – unless you know how to clear the path forward.

I just finished recording with Lawrence Blackmon, and I’m still thinking about his story. Here’s a guy who went from a college kid making a mistake in a DC alley to becoming a Mississippi state representative and defense attorney who’s revolutionizing how people clear their records. What struck me most wasn’t just his journey, but how he turned his own legal nightmare into a solution for millions of Americans.

Growing Up in the Shadow of Mississippi Politics

Lawrence grew up with politics and law in his DNA. His father was an attorney and served 40 years in the Mississippi House of Representatives – starting back in 1973 when Black attorneys were rare in Mississippi. That kind of legacy creates pressure, but also purpose.

“I always had this kind of North star of who I wanted to be and where I wanted to be in life,” Lawrence told me. The path seemed clear: high school, undergrad, law school. But life had other plans.

The funny thing is, Lawrence briefly considered becoming a veterinarian. When he was working on a farm in high school, the vet asked him to list what was important to him: helping people, helping animals, making money. When Lawrence admitted money was really important, the vet said simply: “Go to law school.”

When a Dismissed Charge Nearly Derailed Everything

Here’s where Lawrence’s story gets real. During his time at Howard University in DC, he made what seemed like a harmless mistake – taking a leak in an alley during a night of bar hopping. Blue lights. Arrest. Jail.

The next day, they lined everyone up. Some had to see the judge. Lawrence and two others were told: “Your charges are dismissed.” No explanation, no paperwork, nothing. He walked away thinking it was over forever.

Fast forward to law school applications. They wanted everything – everywhere he’d lived, every interaction with police. That’s when panic set in. “I’m googling, you know, can this stop me from going to law school? I’m on these reddit threads and they’re like, maybe. And I’m like, oh my god, because all I ever wanted to be was a lawyer.”

He finally came clean to his father, who told him he needed an expungement. The first attorney quoted $5,000. Lawrence found another for $2,500 and thought he was getting a deal for such “serious work.”

From Personal Pain Point to National Platform

But here’s where Lawrence’s entrepreneurial mind kicked in. As he started practicing law, people kept calling about expungements. He realized the work was completely formulaic – same forms, same information every time. It took maybe five minutes of actual legal work.

“I said to myself, wow, you know, millions of people are having interactions with the police every single year. And all of them are not resulting in convictions. So all of those are going to be eligible for expungement,” he explained. “We can be the Morgan and Morgan of record clearing.”

That lightbulb moment led to Legal Ease and their flagship platform, Expungement.AI. Using artificial intelligence, they guide people through the same questions a lawyer would ask, determine eligibility, and generate the proper paperwork – all without the massive legal fees.

“We are empowering people using artificial intelligence to get some of this stuff done without an attorney,” Lawrence said. The platform serves 48 states (Alabama and Alaska are the holdouts) and has helped thousands get fresh starts.

What I love about this approach is how it removes the barriers that keep people stuck. No more wondering if they can afford an attorney. No more confusion about paperwork. Just clear guidance from start to finish.

Lawrence understands something crucial that many in the system miss: most people with records are going to return to society eventually. The question is whether we want them to come back as productive citizens or as people still carrying that scarlet letter that makes housing, employment, and banking nearly impossible.

As both a defense attorney and state representative, he brings a unique perspective to criminal justice reform. He sees the system from every angle – the courtroom, the statehouse, and now the tech space where he’s building solutions.

His advice for anyone wanting to advocate for change resonates with me: find your area, connect with like-minded people, and don’t give up. The wheels turn slowly, but they do turn.