Loss of Professional License a Possible Consequence of DUI Conviction

There are three categories of consequences that can arise out of a drunk driving conviction. The punitive sanctions are those that the judge imposes after you are convicted, and include things like jail time, fines and costs, community service, etc. The driver license sanctions are those imposed by the Secretary of State.

For example, once you’ve been convicted of a high BAC/Super-Drunk case, your license will be suspended for 45 days followed by 320 of restricted privileges with an ignition interlock device.

But, the most significant consequences of a drunk driving conviction are often the collateral consequences.

If you are a doctor, other health care professional, a lawyer, have a series seven license, a school teacher, or are employed in many other fields or professions, a drunk driving conviction could cost you your job, your professional license, or both.

Another problem can come up when they are not yet licensed but have just finished with school to become a teacher, lawyer, or health care professional. In these instances, you will sometimes be denied licensure. For example:

In the case of In re Cramer, 427 Md. 612, 50 A.3d 1066 (Md., 2012), Cramer applied for admission to the Maryland Bar. The undisputed facts included an October 30, 1998 arrest in Los Angeles, California, for driving under the influence of alcohol to which Mr. Cramer plead no contest. On February 2, 2004, Mr. Cramer was once again arrested and charged with driving under the influence, failure to drive in the appropriate lane, failure to activate lights, reckless driving and driving without a license. He was found guilty of DUI, but not guilty of the other charges. In June of 2005, Mr. Cramer was arrested and charged in the District of Columbia for disorderly conduct after a confrontation with a Metro Transit Police Officer. He eventually admitted to the Board of Law Examiners that he had been drinking earlier that evening, but maintained that he was not intoxicated and did not believe alcohol was the cause of the offense. Mr. Cramer’s DUI in 2004 occurred while he was still in law school, and he testified that he had been drinking the night he was arrested for disorderly conduct, which occurred after he submitted his bar application.

In reviewing the application, the court found that Mr. Cramer’s omission of multiple requirements, including his several alcohol-related arrests, character questionnaire, credit report, and lawsuits to which he was a party, as well as his lack of candor and misrepresentation by only addressing the gaping omitted sections when he was asked and by supplementing requisite application material in an untimely, piecemeal fashion, warranted the denial of Mr. Cramer’s admission to the Bar. Ultimately, this denial was due to his failure to establish that possessed the moral character to practice law. Good moral character includes truthfulness, and absolute candor is a requisite of admission to the Maryland Bar.

If you are facing charges for intoxicated driving or DUI/OWI in Michigan and have or want to have a professional license, call the Barone Defense Firm today for your FREE case evaluation.