Mistakes to avoid while defending your professional license

Licensed professionals of any kind spend years working toward their degree and their professional license. After spending so much time, energy, and money to earn their license, should a professional simply give it all up the first time their license is at risk?

While it is possible to defend a license against serious accusations, it is very easy to make a mistake that puts the license at risk. Here are four mistakes you can avoid to help defend your professional license:

Saying too much

Whenever you discuss the nature of your alleged misconduct or criminal activity, keep things brief. The more you say about the matter, the more ways a board can find a way to take your license. Keep your dialogue and responses short and sweet. When you keep things brief, you can prevent yourself from saying something that could cost you your license.

Immediately accepting a settlement offer

While a settlement can likely mean that you will keep your license, that does not mean that you should take the first offer you receive. You still can negotiate on your behalf, and you should use it. Negotiations can help you lower the years you remain on probation, how many corrective courses you will have to take, and even how much you may own in fines.

Waiting to file your Notice of Defense

After you receive an accusation of misconduct or criminal activity, you have 15 days to confirm you will contest the accusation officially. Although you have just over two weeks to do this, waiting until the last minute can be a bad decision. If you wait too long, you may miss the deadline entirely, which can cause you to receive sanctions.

Defending yourself alone

Regardless of your accusation circumstances, defending your license by yourself may not result in your strongest defense. An experienced attorney can offer you the guidance and insight you need to secure the best possible outcome in your situation. A lawyer can also advocate on your behalf and considerably improve the outcome of your negotiations.

You can defend your license

With careful planning, an experienced attorney, and swift action, you can defend your license to continue practicing your career. Let a lawyer help you defend your license and your future.