Our law offices at Lucy McAllister Licensing Law handle hundreds of licensing cases throughout the state of California every year. Our extensive experience working in both Administrative Law and in Criminal Law gives us a unique edge when it comes to defending licensees with criminal convictions. We represent clients who need to disclose criminal charges or convictions to their licensing boards as well as those who are applying for new professional licenses or for license renewals.
Over the past decade, we have seen an increase in the number of California professionals who hold multiple licenses. Travel nurses fall in this category but many other types of California licensees also choose to become licensed in more than one profession because they enjoy practicing multiple professions as well as for economic or other reasons, for example:
- Insurance agents who are also Insurance Brokers
- Accountants and Financial Planners and Bankers
- Psychologists and Clinical Social Workers
But what happens when you are charged or convicted of a crime and you hold multiple licenses in the same state or you hold multiple licenses across states and want to renew your California license(s)?
The answer is the same: your criminal history will become immediately visible to your California licensing board(s) and will trigger board investigations. Even more damaging, a disciplinary action by one licensing board will trigger an avalanche of subsequent disciplinary actions by another board for those holding multiple licenses in the same state or even across state boundaries. There is no statute of limitation for the filing of a disciplinary action by a California licensing board.
A case in point:
A recent client came to us who held both a California Chiropractor License from the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners as well as a Certified Massage Therapist (CMT certification) from the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC). Both of these professions’ licensure requirements mandate both fingerprinting as well as clean criminal background checks.
Our client had recently received a DUI while driving in Nevada on a recent ski trip. The DUI conviction immediately triggered an investigation by the Board of Chiropractic Examiners. This in turn, triggered disciplinary action by the CAMTC.
Fortunately, because our client came to us immediately after receiving his DUI conviction in Nevada, we were able to provide extensive documentation to both professional licensing authorities in California which detailed the steps taken by our client towards rehabilitation and the investigations were dropped, clearing our client’s name and restoring his ability to practice as both a Chiropractor and as a Massage Therapist in California.
If you hold multiple professional licenses either in the state of California or in both California and another state and are convicted of a crime (whether or not IN California), you should contact our law offices immediately. Our extensive legal experience handling both licensing and criminal cases for California professionals will set you up for success when navigating through an investigation by your licensing boards.
The Law Offices of Lucy S. McAllister have successfully represented a wide range of California professionals across different professions and we are experienced in handling all types of board accusations, investigations, licensing defense issues especially in cases involving criminal charges. Let us help you obtain, protect and defend your California licenses so that you can continue to practice the professions which you love.
For additional information or to schedule a consultation, please contact our California-wide law offices today at (877) 280-9944.
