Professional Discipline Lawyers
in Toronto

HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS | REGULATED PROFESSIONS | LICENSING

Professional Regulation and Discipline Lawyers

Posner Craig Stein represents professionals before their regulators and provides strategic advice on licensing issues.

Our professional discipline lawyers work in a collaborative and thoughtful manner to secure optimal results.

PCS is synonymous with exceptional client service and compelling advocacy.

Why Professionals Trust Us

When your reputation and career are on the line, you need regulatory lawyers who understand the complexities of your professional discipline. At Posner Craig Stein, we have built a reputation across Toronto and Ontario for delivering strong advocacy, strategic advice, and discreet client service.

Professionals from a wide range of industries rely on us because we combine deep legal experience with a thoughtful, collaborative approach that always keeps your best interests at the forefront.

Skilled Legal Representation for Regulated Professionals

Whether you are facing an investigation, audit, complaint, or licensing issue, our team of professional regulation lawyers provides the guidance and advocacy you need.

We know how regulators operate and how to defend against allegations that threaten your licence, livelihood, and standing in the community.

Health Care Practitioners

Patient complaints and allegations of professional misconduct can be anxiety-provoking, frustrating, and time-consuming to resolve. Posner Craig Stein ensures experienced, sophisticated, and strategic medical defence advocacy throughout the complaints, discipline, and licensing process.

We understand the impact that patient complaints and medical misconduct allegations can have on your reputation and livelihood.

Professional Discipline Matters We Handle

• Investigations and Audits by your College, including the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO)
  
• Hearings at the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (“ICRC”)
• Hearings before the Discipline Committee
• Hearings before the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board
• Judicial Reviews at the Divisional Court

Posner Craig Stein’s regulatory lawyers assist all health care practitioners under the Regulated Health Professions Act. This includes:

• Physicians
• Dentists
• Pharmacists
• Veterinarians
• Nurses
• Optometrists
• Audiologists
• Acupuncturists
• Massage Therapists
• Chiropractors
• Psychologists
• Occupational Therapists
• Denturists
• Psychotherapists
• Opticians
• Naturopaths
• Respiratory Therapists
• Podiatrist/Chiropodist
• Physiotherapist
• Dietitians
• Medical Technologists
• Midwives
• Dental Technologists
• Kinesiologists

Professional Discipline & Regulatory Defence

Your reputation for competence and integrity is vital to your business. Our professional regulation lawyers understand that your professional standing, license and livelihood depend on successfully navigating complaints and audits.

We provide strategic and sophisticated advice and advocacy in all professional and regulatory proceedings.

Professional Matters We Handle

• Advising you on compliance
• Responding to inquiries, investigations and audits from your regulator
• Discipline and complaint hearings
• Appealing decisions of your regulator

A Posner Craig Stein regulatory attorney can support all regulated professionals, including:

• Accountants
• Lawyers
• Paralegals
• Real Estate Professionals
• Mortgage Agents and Brokers
• Engineers
• Social Workers
• Insurance Agents and Brokers

Licensing Matters & Regulatory Defence

Your livelihood depends on retaining and protecting your license. Our license defence lawyers provide thoughtful and strategic advice if you are facing an audit or complaint, and will help demonstrate your professional and regulatory compliance.

We have vast tribunal experience and regularly appear before the License Appeal Tribunal and other regulatory bodies.

Guidance and Advocacy For:

• Advising you on compliance
• Applications for licensing
• Investigations and audits
• Revocation, suspension or refusal of licensing
• Appeals from negative decisions from your regulator

Posner Craig Stein can assist all businesses and individuals requiring a license suspension attorney. This includes:

• Securities Commission Licensing
• Cannabis Licensing
• Commercial Vehicle and Trucking Licensing

Frequently Asked Questions About Professional Discipline Cases

What to expect during a disciplinary hearing?

During a professional disciplinary hearing, the regulatory College’s prosecutor will present evidence in an attempt to prove that you engaged in professional misconduct. It’s essential to have a skilled legal representative by your side to protect your rights and standing. Your professional regulation lawyer will challenge the prosecutor’s case by rigorously cross-examining witnesses, identifying weaknesses, and uncovering inconsistencies.

Building a strong defence involves thorough preparation, which may include gathering evidence, consulting expert witnesses, and preparing you to testify if necessary. With extensive experience in these matters, we have successfully defended professionals, helping them safeguard their licences and careers.

How to appeal the decision?

If professional discipline hearings conclude unfavourably, you have the right to appeal the decision. However, navigating the appeals process can be complex and challenging. Appeals often represent your final opportunity to seek a favourable outcome, making it crucial to approach them strategically.

Our team has extensive experience handling appeals before bodies such as the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board, the Divisional Court, the Ontario Court of Appeal, and even the Supreme Court of Canada.

Success here heavily depends on the ability to identify valid grounds, such as legal errors or procedural unfairness, and to present a compelling case. An experienced professional discipline lawyer can significantly improve your chances of overturning an adverse decision by crafting strong arguments and guiding you through the appeal process.

Am I required to participate in an investigation?

If your College is investigating you, they may ask you to provide access to some of your documents, like financial records or patient charts. In this situation, you should reach out to a professional discipline lawyer for legal representation. You may need to cooperate with the investigation to meet your professional obligations, and failing to do so could lead to more disciplinary issues.

However, investigators are not working in your best interest. A professional misconduct lawyer can help you provide the right documents and prepare for interviews. Keep in mind that what you say or share during the investigation can affect disciplinary proceedings and could also be used in police investigations, workplace reviews, or civil lawsuits.

How long does a professional discipline process usually take?

The length of a professional discipline process can vary depending on the seriousness of the allegations, the complexity of the case, and the caseload of your regulator. Some matters may be resolved within a few months, while others can take a year or more if hearings, appeals, or judicial reviews are involved.

Throughout the process, our role is to move your case forward as efficiently as possible while ensuring your rights are fully protected at every stage.

Can I get legal costs or orders overturned after a disciplinary or appeal decision?

In many cases, you have the right to challenge not only the findings of misconduct but also the penalties or cost orders imposed against you. This is typically done through an appeal or judicial review, where we can argue that the regulator made legal or procedural errors, applied the wrong standard, or imposed an unfair penalty.

What should I do if I receive a notice of complaint from my regulator?

If you receive a notice of complaint, it is essential that you act quickly and carefully. Do not respond on your own before seeking legal advice. Everything you provide or say to your regulator may be used later in the discipline process.

Contact a professional discipline lawyer at Posner Craig Stein right away so we can review the complaint, guide you through your obligations, and prepare a thorough and strategic response. Early legal representation can make a critical difference in protecting your reputation, licence, and livelihood.