Depending on the crime and your profession, a conviction can impact your ability to work in your chosen career.
Anytime that a person is charged with a crime in California, it can be incredibly stressful and scary. But if you hold a professional license — perhaps as a doctor, nurse, lawyer or real estate agent — the stakes may be even higher.
That is because in California, if you hold a professional license, a felony or misdemeanor conviction for certain crimes may result in losing that license. The key is whether the crime in question is “substantially related” to your profession — and whether your actions show that you lack the ability to practice in that field. A skilled criminal defense attorney in San Bernardino, CA can assist you if you hold a professional license and have been charged with a crime in California.
There are many different types of crimes that could potentially impact your career if you hold a professional license in California. If you work in healthcare as a doctor, nurse or dentist, for example, a conviction for a drug-related offense or driving under the influence (DUI) could lead to an issue with the state licensing board as these crimes are considered “substantially related” to your ability to practice in the field of healthcare. These same crimes may not be considered “substantially related” to other types of licenses, such as the license to practice law or real estate licenses, because it may not necessarily impact an attorney or real estate agent’s ability to perform their job competently or reliably in the same way that it would with a doctor, nurse or dentist.
The law regarding licensing is complex, and specific to each profession. For example, each separate licensing board has different rules regarding when a person is required to disclose arrests and convictions. A person applying for a license may have to disclose a past arrest or conviction at that time, at renewal, or may have an obligation to inform the licensing board within a certain timeframe if he or she has been arrested or convicted of a crime. An experienced criminal defense attorney in San Bernardino, CA can assist you with determining your legal obligations as it relates to your specific case.
The potential to lose your profession if you are convicted of a crime is another reason why you should hire a top-notch criminal defense attorney. A skilled attorney can vigorously defend you against all charges, thoroughly investigating the case to determine if there are any factual or legal defenses to the case. The best chance for maintaining your professional license may be to successfully defend the charges against you, which makes it all the more important to hire the best possible criminal defense attorney. In San Bernardino, CA, the Chambers Law Firm represents professionals who have been charged with a wide range of crimes.
At the Chambers Law Firm, our team of attorneys and professionals aggressively defends our clients against criminal charges, including misdemeanor and felony offenses. We negotiate reductions or dismissals of the charges whenever possible, and will take cases to trial to defend our clients’ right to freedom before a jury. Contact our office today at 714-760-4088 or dchambers@clfca.com to schedule a free initial consultation and learn more about how we can help you if your professional license is in jeopardy due to criminal charges.
