No. Professional licensing boards in California may receive thousands of complaints each year about their licensees. These boards have a duty to investigate the complaints, either using their own investigators or ones from the DCA’s Division of Investigation.
The purpose of a Board investigation is to determine whether disciplinary action is warranted. If it appears that a violation may have occurred, this process may result in a range of outcomes, including:
- Closing the file;
- Referring the complaint to the Attorney General’s Office for disciplinary action;
- Referring the complaint for criminal prosecution; and/or
- Resolving minor violations with a citation and fine.
An experienced professional license defense attorney may help you achieve a favorable outcome, such as file closure or a citation and fine, instead of disciplinary or criminal action. While enforcement proceedings may be unavoidable in situations involving more serious allegations, your lawyer can take steps to mitigate the potential consequences to protect your license and livelihood. By conducting a thorough investigation, consulting with experts, researching case law, and preparing mitigation packets for the Board, an attorney may be able to positively affect the final result of an disciplinary action.