Licensing Board Case Timeline

A case resolution conference is an informal, off-the-record meeting to attempt to settle your board case.

Here are the people who usually attend a case resolution conference:

-A select group of board members;

-The board's attorney;

-The prosecutor;

-Administrative staff; and

-You and your attorney 

Nothing happens to your license at the conference, or on the day of the conference.

If a settlement agreement is reached at the case resolution conference, the terms and conditions of the settlement must be approved by the board, typed up and put into a Consent Order, and then signed by both the licensee and board.

That process can take anywhere from one week to several months.

A case resolution conference usually takes betweeen 10 minutes and 1 hour from start to finish.

No. You can either choose to accept the settlement offer, or reject it.

If you reject it, your case will proceed to an evidentiary hearing.

No. Witnesses are not allowed to attend a case resolution conference.  The conference is not a hearing and is non-evidentiary in nature, so no one can testify.

If you want to present witnesses and testimony to defend your license, then you need to take your case to an evidentiary hearing.

It depends on the licensing board.

Some licensing boards require you to accept or reject the settlement offer at the case resolution conference.  Other boards give you a specific number of days after the CRC to accept or reject the offer.

An evidentiary hearing is an opportunity to defend yourself against the charges made against you.

You can testify, call witnesses in your defense, cross-examine opposing witnesses, and introduce documents to support your case.

Following an evidentiary hearing, the licensing board will issue a final written decision based on the evidence introduced at the hearing.

You are strongly urged to have a lawyer represent you at the evidentiary hearing.

Evidentiary hearings are very complex legal proceedings.  If you are not familiar with the relevant statutes, regulations, and case law that relate to your case, then a lawyer can help.

Yes.

At the hearing, you have the right to testify yourself, and to call witnesses to testify in your favor.

It depends on the complexity of the case.

Some hearings last approximately one hour, while others can take several days or even weeks.

A board must produce a written decision on the hearing.  That document explain the board's findings of fact, conclusions of law, and imposes any applicable sanctions.

The decision is usually published several months after the hearing.  No decision is made at the hearing itself.

Yes. Board decisions can be appealed to the circuit court if a petition for judicial review is submitted withing the statutorily established timeframe.

The appeal process in the court does not afford you another hearing unless the court remands the case back to the board for another hearing or proceeding.