Many licensees with the Department of Insurance are unaware and surprised to find out that that failure to timely disclose all or part of your conviction(s) may be grounds for disciplinary action. Furthermore, these licensees are often shocked when they find out that they are required to timely disclose criminal Read more…
The longstanding purpose of license discipline laws is to protect the public from incompetent practitioners. Although the standards differ somewhat from agency to agency, almost every licensing agency has laws that allow it to take disciplinary action against a licensee when their conduct falls below what is expected of the Read more…
On July 1, 2013, the Department of Real Estate (DRE) is no more. No, the State of California is not abolishing the agency. Rather, they are shifting under the Department of Consumer Affairs and becoming the Bureau of Real Estate (BRE). As a result, the BRE is recommending that California real Read more…
On June 12, 2013, Steven L. Simas, founder and owner of Simas & Associates, Ltd., California’s leading administrative and health care law firm, presented “The Intersection of Criminal and Administrative Law” to the San Luis Obispo County Bar Association, Criminal Law Section. The presentation provided a general overview of administrative Read more…
Simas & Associates, Ltd. founder and owner, Steven L. Simas will be speaking at the Criminal Defense Section of the San Luis Obispo County Bar Association on June 12, 2013. The topic of his presentation will be “The Intersection of Criminal and Administrative Law.” The speaking event is the Monthly Read more…
Many clients and potential clients of the law firm inquire about the impact expunging a criminal conviction will have on potential license discipline. The answer is that the expungement, while not a cure-all, is an excellent piece of evidence of rehabilitation that must be considered by the administrative law judge Read more…
Steven L. Simas, owner and founder of Simas & Associates, Ltd., is yet again hosting another Health Care workshop in Sacramento, California. The topic is the always important “Medical Records as a Defense to Your License to Practice”. The workshop will examine the California Medical Board’s standards for recordkeeping and Read more…
The Administrative Procedure Act (APA), which governs license discipline for almost all California licensing agencies, requires that the Licensee-Respondent file a Notice of Defense, which is equivalent to an answer, within 15 days after service of the Accusation. (Please note that Code of Civil Procedure section 1013 more than likely applies to the Read more…
California’s Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), the department supervising almost all professional licensing agencies, boards, and bureaus throughout the state of California, has eliminated a number of renewal requirements for active duty military and their spouses/domestic partners. Most notable is the elimination of any fees associated with license renewal. The Read more…
On January 1, 2012, a new section was added to the Business and Professions Code which expanded mandated reporting for real estate licensees of certain events to the Department of Real Estate (DRE). The requirement, contained in section 10186.2 of the Business and Professions Code, provides that a real estate Read more…