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Your Goals
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Professional licensing complaints are scary. You worked hard to get your license and depend on it to maintain your career and provide for yourself and your loved ones. Although no one wishes to receive one of these complaints, sometimes these things happen despite our best efforts, especially with the implementation of e-filing within many of these licensing boards and commissions which makes filing a complaint that much easier.
If you receive one of these complaints, instead of panicking, follow these steps:
1. Review and Process
If you receive written notification from your licensing board, review it immediately in order to understand the allegations being made against you, your board’s process, and the timeframe you are working within.
If you are contacted by your licensing board by telephone or in person, listen to the allegations and ensure that you understand what the next steps are in the investigative process.
Remember, to stay calm and that this initial communication is not the time to defend yourself or correct the narrative. These types of complaints can be highly emotional, but losing your cool with staff members of your professional licensing board is not the best way to start off the process and may ultimately be held against you.
2. Gather Information
Pull together and preserve any information that may be relevant to the underlying allegations. This may include compiling a list of individuals who may be able to serve as witnesses or otherwise provide support for you throughout the process.
This is not the time to go on the offensive. Do not hide or destroy any evidence. Do not attack the complainant or potential witnesses against you on social media or otherwise act in a way that could be viewed as intimidation/retaliation.
3. Contact an Attorney
No matter how serious the underlying allegations are, it is best to consult with a professional licensing attorney to get an independent assessment of the complaint you are facing. Having an outside perspective on complaints such as these is crucial to accurately assessing the potential ramifications on your license, determining the best course of action, and easing the overall stress of the process.
4. Assess
With the assistance of your professional licensing attorney, you can assess the merits of the underlying complaint and determine which of the allegations you should contest and which are better to admit to and apologize for. Your attorney will help you understand the best way to make these determinations and the resources available to you.
5. Be Cooperative
When it comes time to participate in your professional licensing board’s disciplinary review process, it is important to cooperate. Failing to do so may result in adverse consequences on your license and may otherwise be held against you. Do not lie to your professional licensing board or its staff members. Having an attorney to help guide you through this process and ensure that you understand your licensing board’s requirements and procedures is imperative.
North Carolina Professional Licensing Defense
No one wants to receive a complaint regarding their professionalism or ethics, but it can happen despite your best efforts. If you or someone you know is in need of professional licensing defense, our team at Leitner, Bragg & Griffin is ready to help with compassion, experience, and perspective. Call us today at (704) 271-9805 to schedule an appointment.
Written By Tee Leitner
Tee Leitner received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his Juris Doctrate Degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Tee spent time in Private Practice and at the Union County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney. Tee founded Leitner Bragg and Griffin in 2016.
