Professional Licensing

Becoming a licensed professional takes a lot of hard work, and maintaining that status is of utmost importance. The legal team at Norman Spencer Law Group is here to help. Our professional licensing lawyers are dedicated to the defense of licensed healthcare professionals as well as licensed professionals in other industries.

Our healthcare clients have included doctors, nurses, physician assistants, dentists, psychologists, mental health professionals, chiropractors, physical therapists and others. We likewise represent accountants, contractors, real estate agents, cosmetologists and other licensed individuals.

Our professional licensing defense lawyers aggressively defend clients to protect their licenses as well as their assets, reputations and careers. Having an experienced licensing defense attorney on your side can greatly reduce the stress of defending licensing claims, especially those that are unfounded.

Facing a compliant or investigation launched by a professional licensing authority is a weighty burden. Some licensed professionals may not be fully aware of the impact negative licensing actions can have on their practice, as well as their overall career. The goal of the attorneys at Norman Spencer Law Group is to help professionals navigate through the process while minimizing the negative impact on your license and livelihood.

With extensive experience defending the professional licenses of a wide scope of individuals, our licensing defense lawyers have helped clients with a variety of issues associated with licensing. These include:

• Professional licensing applications and renewals, which can be hindered by criminal convictions or special personal circumstances
• Professional licensing defense, which may be required for everything from a positive drug test to negligence claims
• Emergency suspension orders, which often require representation before the professional licensing board or at an administrative hearing
• Administrative hearings, which provide the opportunity to outline your side of the story
• Drug diversion, which involves illegally attaining or using prescription medications
• Self-reporting, which may or may not be required based on individual circumstances
• Substance abuse, which is most common cause of impairment among doctors
• HPRP: Health Professionals Recovery Program
• PRN: Professionals Resource Network
• IPN: Intervention Project for Nurses
• Complaints and investigations from the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) or other agencies
• Medicare matters, including audits and allegations of abuse or fraud

The professional license complaint process begins when someone files an administrative complaint with the state licensing agency. The individual filing the complaint may be a client, former patient, colleague or other interested party. Each complaint is assigned an investigator, who often has nothing more than the complaint as evidence of wrongdoing. The job of the investigator is to find evidence to substantiate or refute any claims.

Investigators will write to or call the professional that is the target of the complaint in an attempt to set up a meeting. Before meeting with an investigator or anyone else associated with the complaint process, it’s crucial for practitioners to consult one of our licensing attorneys to secure legal representation.

This needs to be done as quickly as possible, as licensed professionals often have a short time frame before the case moves forward. You want to ensure your attorney as much time as possible to evaluate the issues before the investigator moves to file a formal complaint or an administrative hearing is scheduled.

Some licensed professionals have tried to resolve professional licensing matters on their own, which is rarely a good idea. Even if the complaint filed against the professional is not valid, the risk of possible sanctions is still high. That risk far outweighs the cost of hiring a qualified and experienced lawyer. Attorneys experienced with professional licensing issues can often significantly reduce sanctions, or help the case get dismissed altogether.

Disciplinary actions can have a severe effect on your professional license, especially if you hold licenses in a number of different states. Certain issues that arise in one state may follow you across all other states, impacting all your licenses. Being aware of this fact can help youyou’re your attorney best evaluate your options.

Your professional license can be severely impacted by criminal convictions, which makes it crucial to pay special attention to the potential effects of a plea agreement or judgment. Certain criminal convictions must be self-reported to the professional licensing board, while others may not require it. Some convictions may warrant the immediate suspension of your professional license, while others may bring on an administrative complaint.

Licensed professionals recently convicted or accused of a crime need an experienced lawyer from Norman Spencer Law Group on their side. Our attorneys can outline your reporting requirements and other options to help protect the professional license you worked so hard to obtain. Call our office to schedule a consultation today.