The envelope is filled with legal documents. The document discussed in this blog post is the Statement to Respondent. This form is a notice intended to educate a licensee or license applicant about their most important rights and obligations.
A Statement to Respondent Must Contain
(1) the obligation to request a hearing within 15 days or default; (2) that you can ask for discovery – all the evidence that the agency has against you; (3) you may postpone a hearing but you must let the agency know within 10 days of learning the reason for the postponement; (4) that you can be, but need not be, represented by counsel.
In addition, it creates a substantial amount of fear due to the threat of loss of license and intimidating legal language. The Statement to Respondent also suggests that they can contact their agency attorney to attempt to negotiate a settlement.
After meeting with many clients I have found out that should they contact the agency attorney (prior to becoming my client) that they were advised that they do not need an attorney. Of course, from a licensing lawyer’s point of view, that is terrible advice. My clients’ value my deep knowledge, expertise, and guidance I bring to the negotiations and to their defense.
If you or someone you know receives that big manila envelope, call a professional license defense attorney for advice before taking action.
The Legal Team at Unlock Legal would be happy to assist. Call 833.UNLOCKED / 833.865.6253. Our firm was created with professionals in mind. We unlock your license.