Etowah Professional License Defense Attorney

Etowah, NC Professional License Defense Lawyer

After finishing a rigorous educational program, your hard work has finally paid off. You probably finished medical school, law school, or any other post-graduate degree. Once you’ve successfully passed your licensing exams, you received a professional license. But being accused of a crime or professional wrongdoing can threaten your license. On top of endangering your existing job, it puts your overall professional career and reputation at risk.

If a complaint is put forward against you or you think you’re being investigated by your profession’s licensing board, call Doug Edwards Law in Etowah, NC. We’ll take rapid steps to evaluate your circumstance, react to the allegations and mitigate any potential fallout. Doug Edwards has defended healthcare professionals, accountants, lawyers, and other licensed professionals.

Our team of Etowah professional license defense attorneys has extensive experience in this area. We are familiar with the investigation and discipline process of North Carolina’s licensing boards and we will use all our experience and resources to defend you. So, if you’re facing the likelihood of a suspended license or revoked license, please reach out to us right away to safeguard your career.

We offer legal representation to professionals who need to defend their licenses and ensure that their reputations and career remain intact. To learn more about how we can be of assistance to you, call us at (828) 702-8743 to book a free consultation to review your case and go over your potential options.

Process of Complaints and Investigation By Professional Licensing Boards

In North Carolina, more than 180 occupations and professions require some form of permit or license. Individuals and entities who hold professional or occupational licenses are required to adhere to the rules and regulations of their respective state licensing boards or agencies. Whenever the boards are notified of any violations of these rules and regulations, disciplinary actions against the license holder will often be initiated.

The governing body for each profession will have its specific process to follow once it gets a complaint against a licensed professional. Nonetheless, generally speaking, the process is as follows:

• The board receives a complaint, it might be from a client, colleague, or a member of the public.
• The board will assign an investigator to the complaint, which could be an individual or a committee.
• The investigator will then start an investigation into the complaint, which usually entails reviewing the professional records, interviewing you, and obtaining other people’s statements.
• The board will then notify you of the investigation and might provide you with a copy of the complaint.
• You can choose to cooperate with the investigator, ideally with the help of an experienced Etowah professional license defense attorney.
• The board will then review the investigator’s findings and recommendations.
• The board may choose to seek disciplinary action or close the case altogether.

You have the right to request a formal hearing, especially if it seems like the board may call for disciplinary action. You might receive a private disciplinary action, such as a letter attributing the board’s concerns.

Alternatively, you could receive a public disciplinary action, like a public letter of reprimand, limitations on your practice, monetary fines, permanent license revocation, or a license suspension for a given amount of time.

Impact of Criminal Convictions on a Professional License

When applying for a professional license, most licensing boards will check whether you have a criminal history. If you have been previously convicted of a crime, you are required to indicate so on your application.

You may be asked to appear before the board to discuss your application and the underlying conviction(s). The board may deny you a license depending on the severity of the crime, the connection between the crime and your line of work, and the risk of harming the general public. You may be unable to practice your profession in other states without disclosing previous criminal convictions and license disciplinary actions.

If you’re a certified professional and criminal charges have been brought against you in North Carolina, you have to defend yourself on two different fronts. This is because if you are convicted, you may end up losing your professional license or be subject to other disciplinary actions by the licensing board.

Activities That Put Your Professional License at Risk

Allegations of wrongdoing or incompetence can put your career in jeopardy, especially if a formal complaint is made against you to the relevant professional licensing board. Most of these allegations involve professional misconduct that involves a patient, client, or co-worker. Professionals can also lose their license because of white-collar crimes like embezzlement or fraud.

Some of the activities that can put your professional license at risk include:

• Embezzlement
• Prescribing Narcotics Illegally
• Physical Abuse and Domestic Violence
• Theft
• Medical Insurance Fraud
• Fraud
• Medical Malpractice
• Being found in possession of controlled substances
• Practicing under the influence of a controlled substance
• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Practicing under the influence of alcohol

How Can an Attorney Help You Defend Your License?

An Etowah professional license defense lawyer will help to protect your professional license when facing complaints, investigations, and other issues that put your ability to practice at risk. A trained lawyer is the best person to handle matters related to ethics concerns, grievance complaints, administrative law, and other vital aspects of professional licensing.

It’s worth noting that administrative law is a highly specialized and complex field of law. It mostly covers laws that govern the regulation and administration of government agencies. Professional license defense attorneys specialize in administrative law because professional licensing boards are essentially government or state agencies.

An investigation from your profession’s governing body is not the same as a criminal investigation. Nonetheless, the allegations made against you might amount to a crime. As such, the board may choose to involve the police. In such a scenario, it is crucial to have a lawyer by your side, especially one who has experience with criminal defense, so that any potential investigation by law enforcement can be addressed.

Professionals We Help

Our Etowah professional license defense attorneys at Doug Edwards Law are prepared to defend clients against all allegations of ethics violations, professional misconduct, professional incompetence, and breach of fiduciary duty.

We represent the following professionals:

Accountants

The North Carolina State Board of CPA Examiners monitors the accounting services offered by licensed accountants for professional and ethical violations. According to their rules, an accountant may face disciplinary action for things like gross negligence, dishonesty, fraud, and violating the rules of professional conduct.

At Doug Edwards Law, our experienced accounting license defense lawyers understand the intricacies of license defense law. We have helped many clients avoid paying fines, losing their licenses, or facing other harsh disciplinary actions.

Doctors

We have extensive experience representing doctors in licensing issues in the state of North Carolina. Our medical license defense lawyers have successfully represented numerous doctors before the Board of Medicine.

We are especially qualified in defending our clients in cases that involve alcohol and drug dependency. We also defend physicians facing allegations of sexual misconduct, non-therapeutic prescribing, and standard of care complaints.

Dentists

It can be worrisome and stressful when a North Carolina dentist, dental tech, or dental hygienist faces license suspension, investigation, or revocation. After all, an investigation, license suspension, or revocation could jeopardize your ability to earn a living.

Our dental license defense attorneys can help protect your license if you have received a complaint, are under investigation, or are facing disciplinary action from the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners.

Lawyers

Lawyers are the wheels that make sure that the legal and justice system continues to function smoothly. Without proper legal representation, many lawyers would face unnecessary persecution and unjust treatment. Despite your dedication, other people may misinterpret the facts and put you and your career in jeopardy.

At Doug Edwards Law, we are not afraid to represent our fellow attorneys when they face disciplinary action from the North Carolina State Bar. We know that the threat of being disbarred puts both you and your family in a tough position. If you are looking for a competent law license defense attorney, look no further than Doug Edwards Law.

Nurses

Nurses spend long hours helping other people, so it is only fair that we are there for them when they face unfair complaints and allegations that prevent them from continuing with their crucial work. Our law firm understands what it takes to beat any professional misconduct charges you may be facing as a nurse.

We can help you with various aspects of your nursing license defense including peer review actions, standard or car, criminal conduct proceedings, chemical dependency, and the overall disciplinary process with the Board of Nursing.

Pharmacists

The pharmaceutical industry is highly regulated, and The North Carolina Board of Pharmacy strictly disciplines pharmacists for violating rules related to prescription drugs or other misconduct. There are numerous harsh consequences that can result from a pharmacy board investigation such as probation, administrative penalties, and revocation of your operating licensing.

At Doug Edwards Law, we have the necessary experience and expertise to handle a wide range of pharmacist license defense cases. If you are at risk of losing your professional license and are concerned about the consequences this may have on your job and career, give us a call now and we will advise you accordingly.

Veterinarians

Being an agriculturally rich state, the health of livestock and animals is of great importance in North Carolina. North Carolina treats complaints against licensed veterinary professionals very seriously.

You need an experienced lawyer to protect your veterinary license if you are facing a complaint, an investigation, or possible disciplinary action by the Board of Veterinary Medicine. Get in touch with the experienced veterinary license defense lawyers at Doug Edwards Law today.

Call Our Etowah Professional License Defense Attorneys Today!

Are you facing a complaint or investigation by your professional licensing board? We understand that this is a stressful situation since protecting your license is critical for your career and future. Our law firm is committed to defending licensed professionals from allegations of misconduct.

When you find yourself facing anything an investigation by the professional board, fighting for initial licensing or license renewal, or defending your license against a complaint, working with a lawyer can make all the difference in your case.

If you are facing this type of situation, please reach out to Doug Edwards Law in Etowah, NC at (828) 702-8743 to arrange a free case review and consultation.