If you are a licensed landscape architect in Riverside, understand that a professional misconduct allegation can affect it and ruin your career. The Landscape Architect Technical Committee takes such complaints very seriously. It also has a long list of disciplinary actions it takes against architects found guilty of incompetence, negligence, or any other kind of unprofessionalism. If you care about your career, you need a proper defense against the allegations. This way, the committee can drop the allegations or rule the matter in your favor.
You improve your chances of obtaining a favorable outcome in your case if you work closely with our skilled attorneys at Riverside License Attorney. It is understandable how meaningful your career is to you, your clients, and those who depend on you. We can help you develop the best fighting strategy to ensure you keep your license and career after the complex administrative process.
Your Critical Role as a Landscape Architect in California
The work of landscape architects is impressive. If you have had the chance to drive or walk past a beautiful garden or park, you will begin to appreciate the incredible services of landscape architects. They beautify lots and commercial and residential properties to ensure people live, work, and enjoy beautiful spaces daily. They have an excellent eye for detail and can transform dull spaces into magnificent areas. Their primary role is creating stunning outdoor spaces.
Landscape experts work behind the scenes most of the time. However, your work is highly appreciated by architects and direct clients. The general public only gets to enjoy beautiful places without realizing how much skill and hard work goes into it.
Landscape architecture is an area that requires one to have impeccable skills and experience. This means you must take time to learn how to decorate outdoor spaces and gain on-the-job training to know how to transform different spaces. Thus, it takes years to acquire the right skills, after which you will need a license to start offering your services to the public. The Landscape Architect Technical Committee must ensure you qualify in all areas before licensing you.
After working hard to obtain your license, it is difficult to imagine losing it due to a mere disagreement or a false allegation. Sadly, this happens all the time. An unhappy client can file a complaint with the committee against you, which could result in a suspended or revoked license, making it difficult for you to make a living or serve your other clients. However, you can defend yourself and your license to keep serving the public and earning a living.
You need the assistance of an experienced license attorney to know what to do to avoid losing your license and livelihood. The board always intends to protect the public from unsafe, unprofessional, and low-quality service. It will not hesitate to cancel your license if there is evidence of unprofessionalism. You must act first to defend your actions and protect your license.
The Function of the California Landscape Architect Technical Committee or LATC
LATC is part of a larger body called the Architect Board, which licenses qualified architects to offer their services within California. Although the committee deals mostly with landscape architects, its main mandate is public safety. It was mainly formed to ensure that the public is safe from unsafe, unprofessional, and incompetent services. Thus, everything it does, including disciplining unprofessional architects, is geared towards this mandate.
As part of its mandate, the committee follows up to ensure that all licensed landscape architects perform their duties legally and professionally. Since it is impossible to investigate all licensed architects within California, the board is open to receiving allegations and complaints of unprofessionalism, incompetence, negligence, and criminal acts from the public. When these complaints come, the committee investigates and disciplines any professional found guilty of illegal or unprofessional acts.
The committee sets very high standards by which licensed landscape architects must abide. For example, architects must be fair when charging for their services, must remain professional with clients and colleagues, and must abide by specific laws, including those within the Safety Code and Business and Profession Code. Any violation of these standards is taken very seriously and could result in a suspended or revoked license. This means loss of livelihood by an architect who has taken years and paid a lot of money to build their career in the industry.
Fortunately, you are allowed to defend your actions, license, and reputation when such allegations come up. You can do so in a hearing the committee sets to hear and determine your case. The support of an experienced license attorney goes a long way in ensuring you obtain a favorable outcome in your case. Some of the allegations you must fight to protect your license and livelihood include the following:
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Obtaining your landscape architect license through fraud
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Practicing under a false name
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Impersonating a reputable landscape architect to gain clients or find suitable employment
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Hiring unlicensed or untrained assistants to serve under your supervision at a level that requires competence
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Aiding and abetting unlawful or unlicensed practice
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Engaging in any fraudulent activity
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Being negligent, whether gross, criminal, or ordinary
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Being accused of willful misconduct when discharging your services
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Demonstrating incompetence
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Exceeding the provisions of your license or competence when delivering services
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Use and abuse of drugs and alcohol, especially when offering services
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Claiming ownership of a project you did not create or supervise for fraudulent purposes
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Engaging in a crime that technically affects your qualifications or professionalism
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Being investigated by another government agency or licensing body, even from another state
The committee does not take all the allegations it receives seriously. If an allegation is unsubstantiated or lacks credibility, the committee will dismiss it without notifying you about it or investigating it. However, if an allegation seems credible, the committee will pursue it until it obtains enough evidence to take disciplinary action against you. When this happens, you will receive a notice of an investigation and a hearing date on which you must appear before the committee and administrative judges. Once you receive the notification, you should start preparing your defense to defend your livelihood.
The Administrative Procedure
The administrative procedure against you starts when LATC receives an accusation against you. If the accusation is substantiated, the committee will act on it by notifying you that you are under investigation and requiring you to attend a hearing on a particular date. This is the time you should start preparing your defense by hiring a licensed defense attorney and gathering evidence to defend your actions and your career.
Investigations by licensing boards can take days, weeks, and sometimes months. The time your case will take will depend on the underlying matter. Sometimes the board can suspend your license temporarily as the investigation proceeds to prevent you from interfering with the case. This will significantly affect your livelihood. Having an experienced license attorney can help in situations such as these, as they can fight the suspension and any other action by the board that could interfere with your ability to make a living.
Once the committee obtains sufficient evidence to support the claim or builds a solid case against you, it will hold a hearing to hear and determine the right course of action against you. These hearings are typically presided over by administrative judges, who review the evidence presented by the board and the licensed professionals to determine the outcome of a case. You will be given time to present your evidence, cross-examine eyewitnesses, and present a statement to compel the committee to drop the case or choose the most favorable outcome for your case.
The outcome of an administrative process mainly depends on the gravity of the allegations, the consequences of likely consequences, and the professional’s record of performance. The committee can issue a citation and order you to pay a fine if the accusation is minor. This will not gravely affect your career, but it can damage your reputation because the citation is usually made public. Instead of citations, the committee sometimes uses letters of reprimand to caution licensed architects against unprofessional conduct.
However, if the violation is grave, the committee can suspend your architect license or revoke it. These two actions will affect your livelihood. Although suspended permits do not completely affect your career, you will lose crucial time and could be forced to look for alternative means to make a living. It will also take some effort to reinstate your license after a suspension.
A revoked license means a total loss of your livelihood. This is the disciplinary action the committee uses in case of a grave violation that results in significant harm to a person or business. For example, if a person suffers significant damage or loses their life due to your actions or inactions, the committee can revoke your license. You are forced to look for alternative means of making a living after that.
Reasons to Hire a License Attorney
License attorneys are trained and experienced experts in professional license-related matters and administrative processes. You need one by your side for guidance, legal advice, and support as you navigate the complex processes and fight for your livelihood. You must contact a license attorney immediately after receiving a notice of an investigation against you. This gives your attorney time to review your case and advise you on your options. It also ensures they have sufficient time to gather evidence and prepare a proper defense. A legal representative improves your chances of navigating the complex administrative process successfully, regardless of the gravity of your charges.
An attorney will investigate the accusations against you to determine their credibility and gravity. Remember that not all allegations the committee receives against licensed landscape architects are credible. Some allegations are made by jealous colleagues or aggrieved clients. Without a proper investigation and defense, you could pay for a mistake you did not commit. Your attorney will find out if the accusations against you are credible. If not, they will confront the committee with the truth and compel it to dismiss the charges. If the allegations are true, your attorney will look for another strategy to defend your career.
Your attorney will defend your rights throughout the administrative procedure. When faced with a grave allegation, the last thing on your mind would be your rights. The board can take advantage of your confusion or anxiety to violate your rights. For example, you could be misled to incriminate yourself, which is likely to happen if the board questions you in the absence of your attorney. A skilled attorney will ensure you understand your rights from the start of the process. They will protect you from self-incrimination and ensure that you only agree to a settlement that serves your best interests.
An attorney will ensure that the committee follows its disciplinary rules when choosing a disciplinary action against you. Sometimes the board can choose a heftier punishment for a lenient violation, which could cost your reputation and a career that has taken you years to build. If you are accused of a simple violation, the board must be lenient in its discipline, according to its disciplinary guidelines.
An attorney will also ensure you are well-represented in all hearings regarding your case. They will prepare a solid defense for your actions or inactions and present evidence and testimonies that will result in a favorable outcome. For example, they can use expert witnesses or mitigating factors like your good reputation to compel the committee to dismiss your allegations or rule favorably in the matter.
Find a Competent Riverside License Attorney Near Me
If you are under the investigation of the Landscape Architects Technical Committee in Riverside, your reputation, license, and livelihood could be at risk. The board takes complaints of unprofessionalism, incompetence, or criminal acts very seriously. It will not hesitate to suspend or revoke your license if your actions go against its set standards of operation.
We help licensed landscape architects like you fight for your rights and livelihood at Riverside License Attorney. Our attorneys know how hard you have worked to build a career and reputation in this competitive industry. We can defend your rights, advise you on your rights and options, and represent you in all hearings until you are happy with the outcome of your case. Call us at 951-404-0569 to discuss your case and our services more.
