I have not been in this situation but I've met plenty of people who have. Try applying to fast food restaurants, for custodial work, for sales associate, and stock clerk positions, anything that does not require professional skills as in office work. The hiring process may be more lenient. If you would like to pursue an office job try clerical positions like file clerk, mail clerk, etc. They tend to be less competitive than other office jobs and you won't need a significant amount of experience to do them, depending on the employer. If you have a particular career goal or plan, this will help to focus your search. Mentioning that you woud like a long-term position, despite the reality of needing quick money, could make an employer more likely to invest in you.
Sources/Web sites:
-Go to snagajob.com, indeed.com, monster.com, careerbuilder.com
-Type store names, business categories, and restaurants into yellowpages.com. You'll get a list of phone numbers and addresses, ask if they are hiring.
-Go to
http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites, for immediate-hire positions. Under the jobs section, click on general labor, ETC, or any other section. Check these listings daily.
-You may also post a resume (BNET.com, if you don't have one), or introductory paragraph with your request for work. Google: How to get a job on craigslist and How to find job scams on craigslist
-Local temp agencies such as employmentplus.com and/or look for agencies that specialize in recruiting construction workers, manual/ day laborers, lawn care workers.
View job postings at your local office of unemployment. If you know other people in your situation that are employed ask them for advice/job recommendations. If it is an option, ask people who work with those who have had legal troubles (e.g. probation officers). If your city has a rehabilitation/job placement program for people who have been arrested/charged, you may want to call them as well.
Be consistent with your follow-ups. Always call 1-2 days after applying to confirm that the application has been received, then to see if it has been reviewed 5-10 days from the first call, continual follow-ups should be to check the status of your application every 5-15 days. The number of days someone should wait may vary, just give them a reasonable amount of time to consider you.
I hope this is allowed but I found an answer to a similar question that may help:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_a_person_with_a_felony_find_a_job_after_ he_has_served_his_time.
-ehow and Google are always good sources of information.
For future reference about legal fees, this web site may help:
http://www.halt.org/lic/internet_brochures/Understanding_Attorney_Fees.pdf Good luck.