Kansas and Missouri Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger Explains Why You Need an Attorney at Your Licensing Board Hearing
The United States Constitution prohibits the state from taking your property without “due process,” which means that the state has to legally prove its case after giving you a chance to review the evidence against you and defend yourself. This due process requirement is not only in place when the state wants to take physical property like land; it also applies to other possessions such as your professional license.
The state should have to struggle to take something as valuable as your license, but too many professionals fail to attain the help of an experienced licensing attorney when they receive a notice of investigation or violation. This failure ends up making the state’s job far too easy. Because I get so many calls asking me whether it is “worth it” to hire an attorney, I wrote the following blog post to explain the value of having experienced counsel by your side.
If you are a professional in Kansas or Missouri facing an investigation that jeopardizes your professional license, call attorney Sanger today at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation. Your career, reputation, and livelihood are at risk, and the challenge facing you is one you cannot work your way through this alone.
Misperceptions About Hiring an Attorney
Some people have the misperception that hiring an attorney will somehow make them look guilty. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, state licensing boards know that a skilled licensing attorney can actually help streamline the case, expose flaws in the state’s case, and resolve the case more efficiently. A licensing attorney often presents an alternative set of facts that demonstrate that the state’s version of events may be inaccurate.
When a person is unrepresented, the state board often assumes that he or she must not have a defense. This leads to the very conclusion that the person wanted to avoid, that they are guilty. When a person is not represented by counsel, the licensing board views the case as “shooting fish in a barrel.” Do not end up like a dead fish!
Attaining and Protecting Information
An experienced licensing attorney knows what evidence to present, what to withhold, and what to seek from the licensing board. That knowledge stems from having numerous cases before the board seeking to discipline the client. You are already at a disadvantage if you lack that sort of experience. You are also at a disadvantage if you do not know how much information to divulge. Professionals under investigation often think they will gain favor with the licensing board by providing them all of the information they are seeking, even damaging information. That strategy is never successful, as a layperson will often end up making the state board’s case for them by providing incriminating information in an effort to be “helpful.”
A skilled licensing defense attorney can advise you regarding which information to share and which information you may legally withhold. Differentiating between the information to share and to withhold may mean the difference between keeping and losing your license, and only an attorney with experience before your Missouri or Kansas licensing board can provide you with that sort of guidance.
Negotiating a Positive Outcome
Attorneys are trained negotiators. Sometimes a “good” outcome is a suspension instead of a license revocation, while other times, a complete dismissal of the allegations is the required. Either way, only a licensing attorney that has represented multiple clients before your licensing board can adequately advise you regarding what is a fair outcome in your case. Trying to negotiate on your own behalf is a sure way to get a poor result.
Contact an Experienced Kansas and Missouri Licensing Attorney Now
You have worked too hard to attain your professional license. Whether it is a medical, counseling, nursing, accounting, veterinary or any other type of license, an inquiry from a licensing board means that your livelihood is in jeopardy. Contacting an experienced licensing attorney to help you through this process and can mean the difference between getting back to helping your patients or clients and losing your career forever.
Kansas and Missouri professional licensing attorney Danielle Sanger is prepared to advocate for your best interests and defend you. Call Attorney Sanger at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation with an attorney experienced dealing with licensing issues.