Many of our clients come to us at Unlock Legal because they have one pressing issue that needs to be resolved. Then they move on with their lives and their career as licensed professionals in California. But sometimes, we have clients who need our help for various reasons – all stemming from one criminal conviction in their past.  Applying for Nursing School A young woman hired us several years ago because she wanted to go to nursing school, but the school itself was giving her problems due to a past criminal conviction. To fight this, we went back to the…

A new reform has been enacted to remove barriers from those seeking professional licensure. Governor Newson signed AB-2147 into action in early September to reform California’s inmate firefighter program and open doors for rehabilitated residents.  “Inmates who have stood on the frontlines, battling historic fires should not be denied the right to later become a professional firefighter,” Gov. Newsom said. AB-2147 Offers New Licensure Opportunities As part of the prison rehabilitation program, CAL FIRE trains minimum-security inmates to become firefighters and provide much-needed assistance with putting out local wildfires. The program currently functions in 27 counties and operates 44 conservation…

You’ve spent years preparing for your career as a licensed veterinarian. Between hours of studying, on-site training, and finally applying for your professional license, you are more than prepared to start your career. However, instead of receiving approval, you are given a statement of issues from the California Veterinary Medical Board detailing the denial of your veterinary license. Although it can feel like your career has ended before it’s even begun, don’t give up hope. With the help of a professional license defense attorney, you have the chance to appeal your denial. Causes for Denial The goal of the…

Many of our nursing clients come to us after receiving notice from their licensing boards. In one specific case, a California nurse came to us after being accused of unprofessional conduct and negligence for an incident she was not involved in. Knowing how to handle the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN), our experienced license defense attorneys took on the case and quickly got to work. To begin, our team carefully reviewed the medical record in question and issued a rebuttal to the Deputy Attorney General. Our nursing client was present during the alleged violation but didn’t participate. Since…

Senate Bill 145 is the newest law to be enacted into California courtrooms. The bill serves to make changes to how rape cases are handled and clear up previous conflicting laws on statutory rape. Currently, California courts treat these cases differently based on the type of intercourse involved. In cases pertaining to consensual heterosexual relations between an adult and a minor 14 years or older, the charged adult is not automatically required to register as a sex offender. However, cases involving other types of sexual relations automatically result in sex offender registration for the young adults involved with a minor.…

California’s amendments to Assembly Bill 528 have expanded pharmacy prescription reporting access and created tighter requirements for licensed health professionals. These changes directly apply to the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (C.U.R.E.S.). C.U.R.E.S. is a prescription monitoring program maintained by California’s licensed physicians, physician assistants, pharmacies, pharmacists, and any other prescribing healthcare workers. In 2018, the California Department of Justice (DOJ), issued mandatory statewide use of this system for all licensed medical professionals. As a result of recent changes to AB528, this system will have even higher regulations and reporting restrictions beginning in January 2021.  Shorter Reporting…

As a licensed professional, receiving a notice of a pending investigation against your license can feel overwhelming. Many times, you may not know any of the details of the accusations against your professional license but are pressured to comply with a board investigator. If you’ve received a notice of investigation from your licensing board, contact a professional license defense attorney immediately. Notification of Investigation When you are alerted of a pending license investigation, you are likely only told that there was some kind of complaint made against you. Unfortunately, the investigator won’t provide any additional details. Instead, they will…