Professional practitioners are often surprised to learn that Administrative hearings before the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) are quite a lot like courtroom trials. These hearings are formalized such that in the course of the process, a practitioner fighting for their license will be given a chance to question witnesses, produce relevant evidence, and ultimately present their defense before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).
Indeed, a normally-proceeding SOAH hearing will follow the following discrete pattern:
- Both parties present their opening statements. This is best handled by a professional license defense attorney. It’s the professional’s chance to explain their position concerning the case against them, and is a good chance to frame the case going forward.
- Next the parties present evidence to support their cases, such as any documents or witness testimony that may already exist. As part of this:
- Each party may call witnesses to the stand in person to testify on the case.
- They may also present exhibits into evidence, including exhibits of documents, which sometimes require testimony from the individual who prepared them attesting to their authenticity.
- Objections may be made to any exhibits, testimony, or even questions.
- The hearing concludes with closing arguments, during which each party summarizes their case to the Administrative Law Judge—arguing to define what facts the evidence reveals, and describing to the judge why the ruling should come down in their favor.
The best thing you can do for your case is to get a professional defense attorney involved as early in the process as possible—in fact, it’s best to do so as quickly as you can after receiving notice that a complaint has been filed against your license. That way we can begin to assert some control over the scope of the case from the beginning stages, when the course it will take is forming.
The attorneys at BERTOLINO LLP are experienced professional license defense attorneys. We are prepared to represent you at any legal hearing or proceeding regarding your license—including SOAH hearings. BERTOLINO LLP represents licensed professionals across the entire State of Texas. To best serve our clients, we have offices in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. Our honest, experienced attorneys will fight aggressively on behalf of your license and reputation.
Contact us today or call (512) 476-5757 and schedule a case evaluation.
Call or text (512) 476-5757 or complete a Case Evaluation form
