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ARCHITECTS & PROFESSIONALS ENGINEERS
LicenseSure, a Professional License Defense Firm Helps Architects and Professional Engineers Keep Their License
As an architect or professional engineer (PE) no doubt you’ve spent many nights studying and putting off gratification to become a professional. Our society depends on your work.
When you receive a board complaint, you don't want to deal with the board on your own. You could lose your entire livelihood in the disciplinary process. To protect your career, hiring a work license defense attorney may be necessary. LicenseSure is a professional license defense firm. We help architects and professional engineers save their licenses.
Who Is Involved If Someone Files a Complaint Against Me?
Engineers and architects are licensed and regulated by the APELSCIDLA Board (or Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers, and Landscape Architects).
You'll answer to the state licensing board if you're accused of wrongdoing or incompetent practices. The APELSCIDLA Board also administers disciplinary action for violations of Virginia's professional standards.
Exactly what offenses can result in the loss of my professional engineering license?
You're most likely to have your license suspended or lose your license if you violate Virginia's standards and practices and if you violate public trust. Examples include:
• Criminal convictions: In some cases, getting convicted of certain types of crimes may disqualify you from keeping your architect or professional engineer license. In Virginia, driving under the influence (DUI), crimes involving lying, cheating, or stealing, domestic or child abuse, fraud, and other serious felony offenses can cause you license trouble. The APELSCIDLA Board requires you to tell them if you've been convicted of a crime, no matter if the crime is disqualifying. If you do not, it can lead to the suspension or revocation of your license.
• Substance abuse. Professional engineering licensing boards are concerned about drug and alcohol abuse because these substances can cloud your judgment and performance, making architecture and engineering work unsafe.
• Gross negligence/incompetence. Repeated code violations and errors are sure to jeopardize your license, especially if they cause fatal accidents.
When My License Is Questioned, How Does the Disciplinary Process Work?
Action against an architect or engineer starts with someone filing a complaint with the APELSCIDLA Board. The board follows an administrative process. The APELSCIDLA will decide whether to move forward with the complaint it receives or it can throw it out if does not have merit. In general, this is how the process works.
• Investigation. To find out if the complaint is valid, the Board will conduct an in-depth investigation, which may include asking you for a written response, requesting you to provide it with certain documents, and interviewing the complainant and other witnesses. The Board could also conduct a forensic investigation of the accident scene if the complaint stems from an accident related to your work.
• Consent order. A consent order may be offered to you by the Board if enough evidence of wrongdoing is found to justify disciplinary action. With a consent order you agree to accept a specific punishment from the Board and admit wrongdoing.
• Formal hearing. You'll have a formal hearing in front of the Board if no consent order agreement is reached. At this hearing, you'll be allowed to present your side of the story (and there's always your side) and any corroborating evidence to dispute the complaint.
• Final decision and Board action. A decision on whether or not you're responsible for the alleged professional wrongdoing is made by the Board. If the Board finds you've done nothing wrong, it will dismiss the complaint. Alternatively, if the APELSCIDLA Board finds you've violated Board standards, it can reprimand you or suspend or revoke your license.
A skilled professional license attorney who knows how to negotiate with the APELSCIDLA board can step in at many points in the disciplinary process to convince the board to throw out the complaint or agree to a more lenient penalty you can live with.
Will I Definitely Lose My License if the Board Finds Me in Violation?
Not necessarily. The Board has a bit of latitude when imposing sanctions that can let you to keep your architect or PE license. For example, the Board might temporarily suspend your license, place work restrictions, impose fines, order you to pay restitution or go to treatment or continuing education, or issue a formal reprimand.
However, you should know that even minor disciplinary actions can appear as a negative mark on your professional reputation, because APELSCIDLA actions are public record that anyone can see, including potential employers, contractors, or clients. An attorney can help you minimize the negative impact of a complaint on both your career and your license.
What can a Professional License Defense Attorney Do to Help Me Keep My License?
An experienced professional license defense attorney can assist you in minimizing the impact a complaint has on your license.
The right lawyer can help you respond to unfair allegations, negotiate with the licensing board to have the complaint dismissed, fight for less harsh sanctions, defend you aggressively at formal hearings, and even help you reinstate your architect or PE license if it has already been suspended or revoked.
At LicenseSure we know the license complaint process for engineers and architects can be scary and demoralizing when accused of wrongdoing or incompetency, but it does not have to mean your career is over. Attorney Tori Bramble and her team help architects, PEs, and other licensed professionals avoid losing their licenses and livelihood.
If you want to learn more about how we can help, call (703) 740-1129 now.