A professional’s license is the key to his or her livelihood, When licensure is threatened by complaints to a licensing board, or by investigations conducted by those boards, skilled and knowledgeable representation can make the difference between keeping one’s practice and losing it.

In 2003, one of Yates McLamb’s medical malpractice insurance clients approached us about representing its insured physicians and dentists in defending against complaints lodged against them with their professional licensing boards. We agreed, and began work to familiarize ourselves with the processes and procedures of those boards, and to assist doctors and dentists in explaining their care to their boards in the most persuasive and compelling fashion possible.

In the years since then, we have expanded our work beyond patient complaints to encompass a broad range of issues raised by and before these Boards, and have represented clients before many of North Carolina’s licensing bodies. Our lawyers have appeared before the following:

• Medical Board
• Board of Dental Examiners
• Board of Pharmacy
• Board of Nursing
• Board of Licensed Professional Counselors
• Psychiatry Board
• Board of Licensed Professional Engineers

Our services for licensees have included assisting with inquiries about licensure applications, responding to patient complaints of alleged poor care, negotiating the consequences of DWI and other criminal charges, defending alleged boundary violations, and negotiating the effects of malpractice settlements on licensure.

We have developed relationships with the staffs of the Boards that allow us to discuss our clients’ cases with them respectfully and with candor, clarifying the concerns of the Boards and providing information to support reaching decisions that are fair to the licensee. If a compromise cannot be reached, we have the courtroom experience necessary to zealously argue our client cases at hearing.

Barry S. Cobb	Lori Abel Meyerhoffer	John W. Minier
Jason D. Newton	Shirley M. Pruitt	Mindi L. Schulze