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Blog: Posts - Page 16

How errors in trust accounts endanger the professional licenses of attorneys

February 21, 2020Posts

How Errors in Trust Accounts Endanger the Professional Licenses of Attorneys

When an attorney is hired on retainer, they are supposed to put the money paid by the client up front into a trust account—often an Interest on Lawyers Trusts Account (IOLTA) that pays interest on the funds into legal aid organizations such as the Texas Access to Justice Foundation. The attorneys may then pay themselves out of the account based on hours worked. But sometimes attorneys are unaware of just how careful they need to...

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When a holiday dwi threatens your professional license

February 20, 2020Posts

When a DWI Threatens Your Professional License

An increase in the number of citations for driving while intoxicated was a standard fare during the holiday season, wherever one lives—Texas included. It’s easy—all too easy—to get swept up in the festive spirit of holiday parties and make the unfortunate choice to get behind the wheel when one’s blood-alcohol content is above the legal limit. For non-commercial drivers, that limit is .08 percent—which generally equates to two or three drinks per hour. And, while...

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Donu2019t miss that board response deadline

February 19, 2020Posts

Don’t Miss that Board Response Deadline

When a complaint is made against a professional’s license, it can be a natural form of response to “bury one’s head in the sand,” so to speak. This manifests in various avoidant behaviors, perhaps the most common of which is missing a response deadline set by the agency board to which a licensee is subject, out of an unwillingness to think about the whole thing. But this is a terrible mistake for a licensee to...

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Settling cases without a soha hearing

February 18, 2020Posts

Settling Cases Without a SOAH Hearing

A great number of license complaints are subject to Administrative Hearings before the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOHA)— often referred to as SOHA hearings. These are forums for the presentation of the cases and evidence on the part of both the licensee and the licensing board before an Administrative Law Judge. At these hearings, both sides may also question witnesses before the Judge, who makes findings of fact and conclusions of law. But...

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Dealing with false allegations of improper teaching relationship

February 17, 2020Posts

Dealing with False Allegations of Improper Teaching Relationship

False allegations of improper relationships between teachers and students may be somewhat rare—but they do happen. These falsehoods can spring from any number of various misinterpretations of events, or from (in an even rarer event) maliciousness—an attempt to turn the tables on the inherent power hierarchy between teacher and student. But whatever the reason such an allegation has come up, parents are naturally likely to side with their children. (Really, what sort of people would...

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Coping with the stress of unfounded complaints

February 16, 2020Posts

Coping with the Stress of Unfounded Complaints

Let’s face it—online portals made for the filing of complaints against professional licenses have made it far too easy for people in the throes of negative emotions to endanger the livelihoods of professionals. A good proportion of the complaints made against professional licenses every year are made out of pique, totally unfounded. Even the agency boards that investigate them know this. That’s why so many complaints are dismissed out of hand before even reaching the...

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When an electrical subcontractoru2019s actions threaten your license

February 15, 2020Posts

When an Electrical Subcontractor’s Actions Threaten Your License

In the course of a complex building or retrofit project, Texas electricians at times find themselves having to hire a subcontractor in order to complete all the work that must be done. Every good electrician knows how important their skills and work product are to the proper, safe functioning of a home, high-rise, or commercial building. And they are also aware of just how important it is that the systems they install be carefully inspected...

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Our initial consultation itu2019s all about you

February 14, 2020Posts

Our Initial Consultation: It’s All About You

In the event that a complaint has been filed against you before a licensing board or regulatory agency in Texas, you will want to hire a professional license defense attorney as soon as possible. Any such complaint should be taken very seriously, as the regulatory and licensing authorities have the power to suspend your license, put it on probation, or even revoke it. Though professionals facing such a threat to their livelihoods often view the...

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What professionals can do to combat online reputation damage

February 12, 2020Posts

What Professionals Can Do to Combat Online Reputation Damage

Over the past thirty years, the internet has played an increasingly intrusive role in the work lives of professionals. This trend can be viewed as especially pernicious when a professional’s license falls under attack. The effects of a complaint or report, easily accessible to anyone with a web browser, can come as a serious blow to one’s professional reputation. And, as any professional knows, reputation is everything. The advice that the passage of time will...

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Dealing with national practitioner data bank disciplinary action listings

February 11, 2020Posts

Dealing with National Practitioner Data Bank Disciplinary Action Listings

As a national clearinghouse of information regarding the many sorts of disciplinary actions taken against those in the medical profession, the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) carries the power to break the livelihood of a professional. Its reports are used by people at many levels in the healthcare industry—such as health plans, clinics, hospitals, state Medicare fraud control units, quality improvement organizations, professional societies with formal peer review, and licensing boards like the Texas Board...

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