Professional License Defense

A complaint or board inquiry can move quickly and may affect your ability to work long before a formal hearing. Early representation can help preserve evidence, control the response, identify scientific or factual weaknesses, and avoid admissions that may later be used in an accusation.

Professional Licensing Matters We Handle

• Board complaints, investigations, interviews, and investigative subpoenas
• Citations, fines, cease-and-desist orders, and administrative penalties
• Accusations seeking license suspension, revocation, restriction, or probation
• Statements of Issues and challenges to license-application denials
• Interim suspension, emergency, and immediate-action proceedings
• Settlement negotiations and stipulated disciplinary resolutions
• Administrative hearings before the California Office of Administrative Hearings
• Probation compliance, petitions for reinstatement, and penalty relief
• License consequences arising from criminal allegations, convictions, substance-use claims, testing, impairment allegations, or alleged professional misconduct

California Boards and Licensed Professions

We defend professionals and applicants before California licensing boards, bureaus, commissions, and departments. Matters may involve healthcare professionals, contractors, accountants, real-estate professionals, engineers, architects, educators, behavioral-health professionals, pharmacists, nurses, physicians, dentists, veterinarians, cosmetology and barbering licensees, security professionals, and other regulated occupations. This list is illustrative, not exhaustive.

The California Disciplinary Process

1. Complaint and Investigation

A board may obtain records, interview witnesses, request a written response, or refer a matter for further investigation. A thoughtful early response can narrow issues and sometimes prevent formal charges.

2. Accusation or Statement of Issues

An Accusation formally alleges grounds to discipline an existing license. A Statement of Issues generally challenges an application or seeks denial of licensure. The allegations are not a final determination of wrongdoing.

3. Notice of Defense

Deadlines are short. In proceedings governed by California Government Code section 11506, a respondent generally has 15 days after service of an accusation to file a Notice of Defense and request a hearing. The controlling notice and agency-specific rules must be reviewed immediately. Failure to respond can waive the right to a hearing and lead to a default decision.

4. Discovery, Negotiation, and Hearing

The defense may investigate the allegations, obtain discovery, retain appropriate experts, challenge unreliable evidence, negotiate a resolution, and prepare for an evidentiary hearing before an administrative law judge. The licensing agency ultimately acts on the proposed decision as permitted by law.

Trial Experience Informed by Science

Professional-discipline cases often turn on credibility, technical standards, medical records, laboratory results, prescribing practices, impairment allegations, or the interpretation of drug and alcohol evidence. Okorie Okorocha brings trial-law experience and forensic-toxicology training to cases in which science and professional judgment overlap.

Protect the Record from the Beginning

Do not ignore a complaint, investigator contact, subpoena, accusation, or application-denial notice. Preserve the notice and envelope, identify the response deadline, avoid altering records, and obtain advice before giving a recorded interview or detailed written statement.

This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Deadlines and procedures vary by agency and case.