ratface, had no idea expunging was a possibility. I will let him know and suggest he contact a lawyer.
Well, I'm not a Texas lawyer, but if Texas law on expungements is anything like Virginia, DC or New York law on expungement, it would be an extremely tough road to hoe. In general, expungement is available to those who were "youthful offenders" under certain circumstances or who have demonstrated they were innocent of the charges brought against them.
I suspect you just can't go to a Judge and ask for your records to be expunged simply because you don't want the records to be used against you for future employment! Likewise, you probably can't go to the Governor of Texas and ask for a pardon, which would purge the taint of the conviction, simply because someone wants to remove a "disabling" feature of a felony conviction.
Let me get this straight -- and I don't mean to be harsh here -- this guy did the crime and he did the time, and now finds employment difficult as a convicted felon -- what else is new? He also probably can't vote or carry a firearm legally; there might be a process to get most of his civil rights restored in Texas, but decisions to hire him are left to employers, who may or may not cut him some slack.