Any time a professional receives notice that a complaint has been filed against them before the board, commission, or agency that oversees their license, it can cause a great deal of stress. After all, this is your career, your reputation, and your livelihood that are being put at risk. Unfortunately, a common tactic—or lack thereof—is to ignore the complaint and put it out of mind. To avoid it, in other words. Often this results in missing the deadline to respond to the complaint. And this is a terrible mistake.
Above all else, the moment you receive that written notice of a complaint from your licensing board, you should do everything you can to face the complaint, to wrangle with the situation, and create the best possible scenario for yourself.
Every licensing board in Texas has its process. But there are similarities between them. What most boards request from licenses in their notices of complaint is a response to the allegations stated in the notice. Generally, this means a written narrative, in which you are asked to make your own initial testimony on the events that are the subject of the complaint. This can include witness testimony defending your view on the matter, and any documents that support your defense. The importance of this initial response to the course that the rest of the complaint process will take cannot be overstated.
This is why missing the deadline for submitting this response is so problematic. The consequences may be dire. For one thing, failing to respond in time counts as a violation of many boards’ rules—meaning not only will you still be up against the initial complaint, but a whole new cause for disciplinary action or sanction will be heaped on top.
Why hire a Texas license defense attorney?
The best way to approach the notice of a complaint against you is to contact an experienced professional license defense attorney, like us here at BERTOLINO LLP, immediately. This way, your response will be completed in a timely fashion by another professional whose job it is to understand the best way to move forward.
BERTOLINO LLP proudly represents licensed professionals across the entire State of Texas, and we have a solid track record of success. To best serve our clients, we have offices in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. If you are facing disciplinary action from a professional licensing board or state agency, contact us today or call (512) 476-5757 and schedule a free case evaluation.
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