If you are a licensed land surveyor or engineer in Fresno, your career is at risk if someone files a formal complaint against you. Your licensing body, the Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists, takes such complaints very seriously. It will not hesitate to take action against you if there is evidence of negligence or any other unprofessional conduct. Therefore, you should work closely with an experienced attorney to defend against the allegations and protect your livelihood.
A disciplinary action against you may ruin a career that has taken you years and cost you a lot of money to build. Even a simple allegation can lead to disciplinary action. However, our license defense attorneys at Fresno License Attorney will know the best strategies to use to achieve a favorable outcome. They can negotiate for a case dismissal or a reasonable discipline that will not ruin your reputation or career.
The Critical Role of Licensed Engineers
The Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists issues licenses to thousands of competent engineers in various fields every year. The differently skilled engineers have numerous tasks to perform across a wide range of industries. The board only ensures that those who qualify for licensing have the right skills, understand the law governing the profession, and are people of integrity. This ensures that people seeking their services receive safe, professional, and competent care throughout.
Generally, licensed engineers are categorized according to their training or area of expertise. The most common of these categories include the following:
Land Surveyors
These are professionals who measure and map land to determine property boundaries. They create maps and generate data for land management and construction. Surveyors employ specialized techniques and tools to accurately determine property lines, establish markers for reference, and identify topographic features. Their skills are critical in real estate transactions, infrastructure development, urban planning, and for legal purposes.
Licensing the best skilled land surveyors is necessary because their expertise is highly beneficial for miners, contractors, municipal planners, and others who benefit from the proper planning of land-based projects.
Without their advice and data, many projects will not start. Those that begin can easily fall or become unsafe for occupancy.
Sadly, even the best land surveyors are at risk of losing their careers if a claim is filed against them. An unsatisfied client, an angry colleague, or an employer can file a false complaint against you with your licensing board. This puts your license at risk if the board agrees to take action against you for incompetence, negligence, or any other unprofessional conduct.
Civil Engineers
As a civil engineer, your expertise includes designing, constructing, supervising, managing, and maintaining private and public infrastructure that the public relies heavily on. This infrastructure includes bridges, roads, water support systems, and airports. You are involved in the full lifecycle of critical projects, from planning and design to construction and maintenance. This requires you to have excellent training, which takes years. You also need to spend more time acquiring sufficient experience to handle projects independently.
Unfortunately, losing that is possible if your licensing board takes action against you. To avoid this, you should take action immediately after learning about a formal complaint against you. Hiring the right license defense attorney increases your chance of obtaining a favorable result in your case.
Mechanical Engineers
They are engineers who research, plan, build, and test mechanical systems and devices. Their products range from consumer goods to industrial machinery, including power generators and motor engines. This is a skill that requires extensive training, taking much of your time and resources. It also requires a considerable amount of time and incurs substantial costs to become a licensed mechanical engineer in California. You must take critical exams to prove your competence and demonstrate your understanding of the laws governing this profession.
However, a single complaint can ruin your livelihood. It could be from a simple mistake you made while discharging your service, or an understanding between you and your colleagues, employer, or client. However, there are defense strategies you can use, with the help of an experienced defense attorney, to prevent such a complaint from ruining your career.
Electrical Engineers
These are also invaluable professionals in various industries in California and beyond. As an electrical engineer, your role includes designing, developing, testing, and supervising the production of electrical equipment and systems. With your skills, you can create small but critical electrical components, and also the large ones, like telecommunication systems and power grids. If you already have the skill and the license, it is helpful to do everything you can to maintain them.
However, a complaint against you can ruin that, putting your career at risk. With the advice and support of a competent license defense attorney, you can overcome any legal issue against you and keep your license.
The Mandate of the Board of Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists
The Board of Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists is the main licensing body for qualified engineers in California. It receives applications from trained engineers, reviews them, and issues licenses only to those who meet the established criteria. However, this is not the board’s primary mandate. The board mainly exists for public safety. Thus, its existence ensures that the public is safe and satisfied with the services rendered by licensed engineers. This means that the board can issue a license to a qualified engineer and revoke it if the professional fails to deliver safe or satisfactory services.
Thus, the board typically does not take your side when a claim is made against you. If anything, it could gather evidence and take action against you, including revoking or suspending your license. In this case, you need to involve someone who will work on your side to assist you in fighting the allegations against you. The right person is a competent license attorney who understands your rights and the laws governing this profession. They will use any strategy possible to fight for the best resolution in your case.
Licensing boards receive various complaints from the public regarding licensed professionals. They receive minor, moderate, and severe complaints. The type of action it takes depends on the severity of the claim and the accused engineer’s record of service delivery. Sometimes it dismisses minor complaints, especially those with minimal impact on the public. However, if your actions put consumers at risk of financial or physical harm, you will likely face disciplinary action.
Common Allegations Filed Against Licensed Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists in California
Remember that it is the public that brings complaints and allegations against engineers if they are unsatisfied with their services. Having a complaint brought against you does not necessarily mean that you are guilty as charged. The board must conduct an independent investigation to determine the circumstances and severity of the allegation. Then, it can take action if necessary. Examples of claims that have been filed in the past include the following:
- Abusing drugs and alcohol while at work
- Operating without a license
- Going beyond the limitations of your professional license when discharging your duties
- Hiring or supervising an unlicensed or incompetent professional in a capacity that requires a particular expertise
- Failure to manage your project
- Failure to finish a project as agreed, or a project you have already started
- Breaching contracts
- Engaging in fraud
- Being negligent at work, whether criminal, ordinary, or grossly negligent
- Using false advertising techniques to lure clients
- Not using or abiding by a binding contract
- Engaging in unprofessional conduct
- Violating laws governing your career, including any Business and Professions Code, or Professional Engineers Act
- An arrest, criminal conviction, or criminal record that substantially affects your professionalism
- Being investigated or disciplined by another licensing body within or outside California
The board handles such allegations on a case-by-case basis. If the allegations against you are baseless or insignificant, the board will dismiss them immediately after receiving them. However, if the allegation is substantial, the board will notify you about it and about the independent investigation it wishes to conduct against you. Once you receive this notice, you should start planning your defense. This is because even a minor or baseless allegation can ruin your career.
The Possible Outcome of an Independent Investigation by the Board of Engineers, Geologists, and Land Surveyors
Remember that the board investigates if the allegation is serious. It does this to obtain more evidence and determine the proper disciplinary action to take against you. When the board agrees to pursue the complaint against you, you will receive a notice of the investigation and be given a date when you must attend a hearing before an administrative judge for a hearing. You should start planning your defense immediately to improve your chances of winning the case. You can do this by enlisting the help of a skilled attorney. You can also collect more evidence and even hire an expert witness to fight the claim against you.
If your case is stronger during the hearing, the board will dismiss the allegations against you. However, if the evidence against you is more substantial, the board may decide to discipline you according to the seriousness of the claim. Here are some of its options:
A Citation and a Fine
This is the least type of disciplinary action that the board uses against negligent or incompetent engineers, geologists, and land surveyors. A citation does not necessarily affect your license since you continue working and earning a living before or after the citation. However, you must pay the required fine to the board. This can be a problem if the fine is high. A citation is also a problem since it is publicly issued, and so, it can damage your reputation.
A skilled attorney will fight any discipline that will negatively impact your career or reputation. They can negotiate for a private citation to protect your reputation or a reasonable fine.
A Reprimand Letter
The board also issues reprimand letters in case of minor allegations. The letter serves as a mere warning against such conduct in the future. The letter is also publicly issued, and so, it can affect your reputation.
License Probation
If the allegations against you are serious, the board may decide to put you on probation before determining your case. Although probation does not necessarily stop you from earning a living, it comes with strict terms and conditions by which you must abide. Probation is also restrictive and may affect how you discharge your services.
However, your defense can fight against it or for reasonable restrictions to make your work easier while you wait for the determination of your case.
License Suspension or Revocation
In cases of severe negligence or incompetence, the board may suspend or revoke a professional license. This can significantly impact your earning ability and may permanently harm a career that has taken you years to build. You cannot work on a suspended or revoked license. Since license suspension is temporary, you must go through a lengthy legal process to reinstate your license.
A competent license defense attorney will protect you from all this. They can introduce mitigating factors in your case to convince your licensing board to review its decisions. They can also counter the allegations with evidence to protect your career and reputation.
Find a Skilled License Defense Lawyer Near Me
If your land surveyor or engineer license is at risk in Fresno because of a formal complaint against you, a competent license defense attorney can help. They can develop the best defense strategy that can influence the outcome of your case. They will also offer support and advice and defend your rights throughout all legal processes.
We offer reliable and competent license defense services at Fresno License Attorney. You can benefit from our support regardless of the severity of the allegation against you. We can investigate the evidence the board has against you, negotiate a reasonable outcome, or defend your claims during the hearing to protect your reputation and livelihood. Please call us at 559-388-5402 to discuss your case and our services in more detail.
