Arrests and Professional Licenses in New Jersey
NJ Criminal Defense Lawyers with offices in Bergen, Essex, Morris County NJ
In New Jersey, the Office of the Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Affairs oversees a wide range of professions that require state licenses. Within the Division, various boards and committee supervise holders of professional licenses in specialized fields. These include accountants, architects, home health aides, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, massage therapists, teachers, and numerous other professions.
When a member of any of these professions is charged with a criminal offense, the resulting criminal issues may directly affect their professional license, even though the criminal charge itself may be completely unrelated to their profession. The board or committee that supervises that professional can take disciplinary actions above and beyond the penalties imposed by the courts. These sanctions could range from a minor warning and note in the individual’s professional file up to temporary suspension of a professional license or even permanent revocation of the license.
When facing criminal charges, New Jersey professional license holders are placed in the unfortunate position of needing two attorneys. Not only do they need a criminal defense attorney well versed in the complexities of criminal law, but also a professional licensing attorney familiar with the intricacies of professional licensing law. Often, a professional may not anticipate the involvement of an oversight board until they have already committed to a defense attorney and invested large amounts of money in that defense, at which point that person discovers that their attorney has no experience in administrative law. This can be problematic in several ways, including by creating the need to hire a second attorney to handle the administrative law involved with their professional license and by requiring a larger outlay of money in order to hire two separate attorneys. However, the most serious problem in this kind of situation is that attorneys who do not have a solid understanding of administrative law often work out resolutions to criminal cases that might make it very difficult to avoid subsequent action against their license by the oversight board. This may result in what would otherwise be a favorable outcome in the criminal case, but could have serious ramifications on professional licenses.
Any professional license holder who is charged with a criminal or disorderly persons offense must consider from the outset of the case not only the criminal charges, but also their professional license and the possible impact the charges could have upon that license. Accordingly, it is absolutely imperative that the licensee retains an attorney who can navigate both the complicated evidentiary issues surrounding criminal law and the professional oversight boards who operate primarily within the purview of the administrative courts. In this way, the license holder can ensure that their attorney will consider both of those areas when assessing the criminal case and reaching the outcome most favorable to protecting your freedom and livelihood.
The attorneys at The Tormey Law Firm have handled numerous cases involving defendants who depend on their professional licenses for their livelihood. Our attorneys are highly skilled and knowledgeable in both criminal law and in dealing with the professional review boards who oversee license holders. If you are a professional license holder in New Jersey, and you are facing criminal or disorderly persons charges, it is of crucial importance that you seek the advice of an attorney who has the ability to navigate these two areas of law. The attorneys at The Tormey Law Firm are available to discuss your case in a free consultation at 201-556-1570.