California Professional License Defense Lawyer

In California, teaching credentials i.e. teaching licenses which include administrative credentials (for school administrators) are governed by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing located in Sacramento, California.

During this time Mr. Turner has represented both teaching credential applicants seeking their teaching credential for the first time as well as credential holders who are being investigated by the Commission.

When the Commission receives information that a credential applicant or holder has committed a crime or otherwise engaged in acts of dishonesty or unprofessionalism, they may investigate the applicant or holder’s “moral fitness.” A common ground for a license investigation is when a teacher resigns from a school district while being accused of unprofessionalism. A resignation under such circumstances requires that the school district report the teacher to the Commission.

Another common reason for an investigation is a “yes” response on the moral character section of the credentialing application or renewal. This includes a “yes” response to having been convicted of a crime. Such a “yes” response will require further explanation on the application. It is important that during this application phase that the teacher engage the services of an experienced administrative law/professional licensing defense attorney like Jonathan Turner.

The Commission’s formal investigations normally begin with a letter of inquiry requesting certain documents, letters and statements from the teacher. Those documents are then reviewed by the Division of Professional Practice’s Committee of Credentials. It goes without saying that the credential holder or applicant should have a teacher credentialing attorney at this point.

Following the above process, if the Commission believes further investigation is necessary, another letter will be sent to the teacher providing them with the opportunity to personally appear before the Committee of Credentials in Sacramento. Teachers have a right to an attorney at such personal appearances and it is highly advisable that the teacher have an California teacher license defense attorney with them, such as Jonathan Turner, during the personal appearance.

After the personal appearance, the Committee of Credentials makes a recommendation as to what the discipline, if any, should be. If the teacher is an applicant for a license, the license could be denied. If the teacher is a credential holder, the license could be suspended or revoked. California teaching license defense attorney Jonathan Turner has had great success in getting his client’s credentials granted rather than denied and/or avoiding the suspension or revocation of the license.

If the teacher wants to contest the Committee’s recommendation, the matter is set for an administrative hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). These hearings are usually held at one of California’s four offices of administrative hearings located in San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento. Sacramento professional license defense lawyer Jonathan Turner has handled numerous such administrative hearings at all four of the aforementioned hearing locales. Administrative hearings are fairly formal court proceedings involving witnesses, evidence, subpoenas and a deputy attorney general representing the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. As such, it is vital that the teacher have an attorney on their side at the hearing.

Following the administrative hearing, the ALJ issues a written decision that the Commission can either adopt or reject. Thereafter, the teacher has a right to contest the Commission’s adoption or rejection of the ALJ decision via an administrative writ of mandamus (writ of mandate). A writ of mandate is an extremely complicated legal instrument. California teaching license defense lawyer Jonathan Turner is the rare attorney that has experience in handling numerous writs of mandate against the Commission as well as other California licensing agencies.