Professional License Law

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When a California licensing agency seeks to discipline a license by filing and serving an accusation, in the accusation there is usually a request for cost recovery.  Cost recovery is mandatory reimbursement paid to the agency for all of its investigative costs and attorneys fees.  In other words, if you receive an accusation against your…

In California, practically speaking, there is no such thing as a permanently revoked license.  I can think of a couple of rare examples of licenses that cannot be reinstated, for example, if a physician is spending life in prison, or an attorney has been convicted of a felony that cannot be reduced.  However, for the…

Effective January 1, 2014, under Title 16 California Code of Regulations section 37.5, all certified public accountants who have not previously submitted fingerprints to the California Board of Accountancy (CBA) must do so as a condition of their license renewal.  At least since 2011, the CBA has required fingerprints with applications.  However, thousands of CPAs…

California licensees can face license discipline or denial not only for allegations of wrongdoing or criminal convictions, but also due to prior discipline of licenses held in other states.  Although this can happen among any of the professions, the most common professions where other state discipline impacts a California license are physicians and nurses.  It…

It seems that every few days I run across someone new who claims to be a “professional license lawyer”, “occupational license lawyer” or “license defense lawyer”.  Looking at flashy websites and claims of experience and thorough knowledge, it is difficult to tell who is a qualified, experienced  professional license lawyer and who isn’t.  However, there…

Orange County and Riverside County licensees and license applicants may typically have their cases heard in either the Office of Administrative Hearings in Los Angeles, the Office of Administrative Hearings in San Diego, or a local venue in Orange County, depending upon the licensing agency.  Certain large boards, such as the Medical Board of California…

The financial regulatory agency FINRA disciplines stock brokers and financial advisors who are associated with its members.    A FINRA investigation can culminate in an “on-the-record” interview, or OTR, also referred to as a deposition.  A FINRA OTR is a critical development in an investigation, as it signals that FINRA is seriously considering discipline against an…

After receiving an order revoking or disciplining a license, there is a less expensive alternative to a direct appeal that a licensee can take just after getting an adverse decision but before attempting an appeal in the courts: a Petition for Reconsideration filed directly with the state agency.  Petitions for Reconsideration are the licensee’s opportunity…