Divorce and Your Professional License
If you are involved in a divorce proceeding – or believe you are about to be – your professional license may be the last thing on your mind. Going through a divorce is a difficult and stressful experience. In addition to custody and visitation issues when children are involved, you typically need to provide detailed information about your income and finances and, depending on your situation, your background as well. In some cases, the information that is revealed during the divorce proceeding can be used to trigger a disciplinary investigation by your licensing board.
The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team is here to help when that happens. We can also help in situations where you are aware that some of the information you may disclose in your divorce proceeding could potentially be used against you in a license disciplinary case. Call us at 888.535.3686, or fill out our online contact form, so that we can schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your case and explain how our experienced attorneys can help protect your license and your future.
Divorce Disclosures Can Trigger License Investigations
In almost every licensed profession, misconduct complaints can be filed by anybody, not just by the professional’s clients or their families. This means that one spouse involved in a divorce proceeding can file a misconduct complaint against the other spouse – even if the evidence they have to support the misconduct complaint is weak. In most cases, if the misconduct complaint appears to cover the type of misconduct that the licensing board regulates, the board will, at a minimum, open an investigation into the matter.
There are a number of ways that this can happen in connection with a divorce. Spouses typically must disclose details of their financial situation – their assets, their income, their spending, and their debts. If any of those disclosures can be construed to suggest improper or unethical conduct by one spouse, the other spouse could choose to file a misconduct complaint with the first spouse’s licensing board.
It is also not unusual for one spouse to allege that the other spouse has physically or mentally abused them in the course of the marriage. Those allegations, especially those that result in a protective order against the accused spouse, can also be the basis for a misconduct investigation by the accused spouse’s licensing agency.
Similarly, allegations of substance abuse – drugs or alcohol – can be used to trigger disciplinary investigations. All licensing boards are concerned about licensees who may have substance abuse issues that could affect the services they provide to the public. An allegation that a licensee is practicing their profession while under the influence of alcohol or drugs can quickly lead to a disciplinary investigation.
The LLF National Law Firm Can Help if You are in a Divorce
If you are a professional license holder who is or is about to be involved in a divorce, the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team can help you understand how your divorce could impact your professional license. Depending on your situation, we may be able to help you get ahead of any complaints that your spouse may make to your licensing agency. Alternatively, if your spouse does file a complaint, we are ready to protect your rights and defend your license through any investigation and disciplinary proceedings that may result. Call the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team today at 888.535.3686 or submit our online form to schedule a confidential consultation to review your situation. Let us explain how we can help protect your professional license and your future.