Are you a professional who is licensed to practice in Washington State facing a disciplinary action?

I have spent more than three decades acquiring the specific skills and knowledge to effectively represent you with any issues you may face with regard to your professional licensing board.

I work with a range of professionals who depend on licensing boards to continue to practice their professions. I regularly represent physicians and other healthcare professionals facing the Washington State Department of Health disciplinary board, attorneys facing discipline because of alleged ethics violations, and accountant facing actions against their CPA licenses.

I've seen the range of seriousness of complaints, and complexity of issues. I understand that, while there may be structural differences in the complexity of cases involving subjective complaints where the main issue is communication deficiencies with disgruntled former clients or patients, and large cases involving thousands of pages of financial documents, pleadings or medical records, the stress and turmoil that it causes professionals is very real regardless of the complexity.

Because of the decades that I've invested in this area of practice, and because of my ability to listen to your concerns and get to the heart of the issues quickly, my clients and potential clients tell me that I bring a  calming influence to the chaos and stress of their situations almost immediately. The first thing that I do after listening to your story and reviewing the complaint is to help you take a step back and frame your case from a more objective perspective. This often times helps you understand how serious your matter really is. Regardless of whether it is more or less serious that you thought, the goal is to provide you with a solid foundation to then make decisions that are in your best interest going forward. Having the context of reality, we can then get to work guiding you through the maze of your case with the perspective of the preparation rather than fear.

As we develop a plan and determine what needs to be done on your case, you will be informed every step of the way. Onc of the worst things in professional license actions is not knowing and not being able to plan. Knowing this, I communicate cIearly with you so that you will understand not only the potential or probable outcomes of your case when it concludes, but also what to do and how to act while the case is pending.

Regardless of what type of profession you practice, chances are that I speak your language. Every profession has its own vocabulary when discussing the ins and outs of their work, their codes of ethics or conduct, and their disciplinary process. I speak the language because during my decades of experience I have been through most types of cases before. I find that this experience, and my ability to instantly connect with potential clients when they contact me, regardless of what type of profession they practice, makes a huge difference in not only the initial connection in a time of great stress for my clients, but also for getting to the heart of the matter quickly.

You shouldn't have to explain to your attorney the nuances of your profession, nor the lexicon. When we talk, because of my experience in previous cases, chances are that you will not. Instead we can focus on what's really important to you, which is understanding what you face from a legal perspective and developing a plan to extricate you from the situation or minimize the damage to your career and reputation.

There are two common areas of crossover between professional licensing representation and other areas of law. It is not uncommon for professional regulation to go part and parcel with criminal prosecutions. It is also not uncommon for licensure actions to have parallel civil lawsuits.

I have extensive experience in both criminal and civil litigation, and am well equipped to guide you through the gauntlet of concurrent actions with disparate adjudicative bodies. For example, a lawyer who is being sued for professional negligence in missing an important deadline may face a concurrent bar grievance. The proceedings are separate and distinct, but it is imperative that your defense in both be coordinated.

While I generally do not handle the defense of civil malpractice claims, it is extremely important that you have counsel who understands the crossover between the two, the different standards of proof, and the different consequences. I often work closely with civil defense attorneys, to coordinate professionals' representation and to make sure that nothing done on the civil side (in the interest of saving money, often for a professional negligence insurance company) compromises my clients' chances on the professional licensing side.

When you are a licensed professional charged with a crime, or facing the possibility of criminal charges, I often times can represent you in both the criminal and licensing actions. I can also coordinate with outside criminal defense counsel to make sure that your best interests are preserved holistically.

Every profession has different rules and different processes when it comes to licensing and ethics. I have spent years appearing in front of the administrative boards that adjudicate the discipline of professionals.

Since serving as Washington State Bar Ethics Counsel, my legal career has evolved towards being in the corner (and in the ring) with licensed professionals throughout Washington State as they fight to maintain their licenses, careers and reputations. If you face an action against your license, or think you might, contact me for a no obligation case review, and let's discuss your case, your concerns and review your options.