Your livelihood depends on your professional license. However, just one misconduct claim can do much more than threaten your job, it threatens your professional career and reputation. Contact an Indianapolis professional license defense attorney if you ever find yourself facing allegations of professional misconduct. Handling the situation poorly, may cause you to lose both your job and license.

Even if you are successful in avoiding a formal charge, you may still have a difficult time finding employment, even after moving to a different state. Fortunately, hard-working Indianapolis professionals don’t have to face intrusive investigations or disciplinary boards alone. At the Rathburn Law Office P.C., we offer professional license defense services, for people throughout Indianapolis.

What Does an Indianapolis Professional License Defense Attorney Do?

Government regulatory boards are responsible for overseeing license approvals and disciplinary actions against medical professionals and licensees accused of professional misconduct, unethical behavior, as well as those charged with a crime.

The bulk of the duties that a professional license defense attorney perform revolve around protecting an individual professional’s occupational license and right to work. The key areas of focus for these professional licenses’ lawyers can be divided into 3 categories:

Application Appeal

Professional license defense attorney will defend license applicants when their license is denied. The lawyers defend applicants after a “Statement of Issues” or a denial is filed against them.

Discipline Defense

Professional license defense attorney also, licensed professionals defend practicing licensees if their license is facing disciplinary action because they have been accused of engaging in unethical behavior, professional misconduct, or criminal activities.

Petition for Reinstatement

Professional license defense attorney also represent former licensees looking to get back into their career fields after previously having a license their career fields after previously having a license that has been either revoked or suspended.

Things that happen in a professional’s personal life may have serious effects in their professional life if not disclosed to the professional licensing board. Here are some of the reasons why a professional or medical license can be revoked:

Allegations of misconduct

Substance abuse

Criminal charges

Embezzlement

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI)

Medical malpractice

If you have been accused of sexual harassment or violating your profession’s code of conduct, you shouldn’t simply sit and do nothing while you are subject to a professional investigation and probably even public sanctions. You are entitled to hire a lawyer to defend yourself against the allegations. You can find such a lawyer at the Rathburn Law Office P.C.. Call us today to schedule your free, initial, no-obligation consultation.

How Much Time Do I Have to Respond to an Administrative Complaint in Indiana?

Once an investigation has been opened, a copy of the consumer complaint will be sent to you, the licensee, with an opening letter that explains the investigative process. You then have 20 days to respond and present any supporting documents.

Once the investigation is concluded, the Office of the Attorney General will determine whether to:

Close the file

Close the file but issue a warning stating that your conduct as a professional may have fallen below the standards of practice but no charges will be filed for whatever reason

Charge you by filing an administrative complaint.

What Should I Do If My License Is Under Investigation?

If your professional license is under investigation in Indianapolis, you should do the following:

Contact Your Malpractice Insurance Carrier

It is imperative for you to get in touch with your malpractice insurance carrier immediately you hear from the board that you are currently under investigation. It is perhaps the wisest thing to do in this situation.

Contact a Reputable Indianapolis Professional License Defense Attorney

You should also get in touch with a knowledgeable lawyer that has experience in administrative law as well as the administrative code in your state. Preferably, you should contact an experienced attorney or a lawyer that has previously dealt with the board numerous times on similar issues. When it comes to cases involving licensing boards, not any lawyer will do. You need a professional team such as the legal team at Rathburn Law.

Secure All Documents Supporting Your Response

To streamline the Consumer Complaint process, you need to provide all relevant documents supporting your response. Failure to provide sufficient documentation to support your response means that the Office of the Attorney General may issue administrative subpoenas for documents deemed relevant and/or perhaps dispatch an investigator to visit your place of business to secure documents and perhaps interview you, your co-workers, and superiors for appropriate response.

Be Active in Your Defense

Help your lawyer understand the context and nature of the case as well as identifying leading experts. Ask professionals that you know are the leading experts on the issues at hand and whether the stance of a certain expert on the issue is likely to help you or not. Hiring weak, uninformed, or unhelpful experts can be damaging to your case.

Prepare for the Long-Run

Finding yourself under investigation can be highly stressful. The matter can also take a long time to resolve. Be active and strategic when it comes to stress management. Manage stress by eating right, working out, hiking, praying, etc. It can also be a good idea to seek professional support from experts.

What Should I Look for in a Professional License Defense Lawyer?

The professional license defense lawyer you hire will determine the outcome of your license defense or license application. You need to be discerning in your choice of lawyer for your case. Here are some of the qualities you should look for:

Knowledge of State Laws

License suspensions or revocations may be governed not only by the requirements of the indiana professional licensing agency and board but also state laws. If you are facing criminal charges, for instance, you will need to hire an Indianapolis professional license defense attorney with a good understanding of criminal law too.