Failing your fiduciary duty to a client is one of the quickest ways to lose your law license, but do you know how to actively define what that entails?Your fiduciary duty is comprised of four basic principles that have to guide your interactions with any client. These...
Avoid patient grievances through good communication
Patient grievances regarding unprofessional conduct in your office can easily lead to an inquiry from the licensing board, which is something that no physician wants to happen. Fortunately, many grievances are avoidable if you take the right steps.Poor communication...
California psychiatrist’s license put on probation
What sort of thing do you think might result in a psychiatrist's license being put on a six-year probation? An consensual affair with a patient? Overlooking obvious signs that a patient is suicidal? Disclosing a patient's personal information in violation of the...
How to handle an ethics investigation when you’re an accountant
Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) have a lot of strict rules that they have to follow -- and all it takes is one carefully placed complaint to launch an ethics investigation into your practice.In other words, the odds are high that the average CPA will eventually...
Can you get accommodations in law school for a learning disorder?
You don't have to let processing disorders and learning disabilities stop you from achieving your dreams of being a lawyer. Testing accommodations can help you manage your condition.Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), schools that take federal financial...
Don’t let a mental health condition cost you your medical license
Even doctors can develop mental health issues. Depression is a common problem for people who have to face the frailty of the human body every day. Anxiety might kick in after a particularly rough time. Experts say that burnout and even suicide is a problem among the...
3 easy ways attorneys end up facing professional sanctions
What sort of ethical violations can cause an attorney to face professional sanctions?Probably less than you think. What other professions might regard as boorish or even mildly questionable behavior is regarded as a serious abuse of power or ethical breach among...
Understand how moral character statements work
If you're applying to the State Bar in California, one of the things you have to do is provide evidence of your good moral character.It sounds a little like you're assumed to have a bad moral character and have to prove the assumption wrong. Unfortunately, in a way...
What are the limits on social media use by doctors?
Social media has largely reinvented both how people socialize to how they do business -- and the line between people's personal lives and professional lives often get blurred.That's a fact that doctors would do well to remember if they want to avoid becoming the...
Attorneys and ethical violations: What to expect
In today's world, ethics are extremely important. When an attorney does participate in some form of misconduct, he or she cannot expect the State Bar to look the other way.However, there are different penalties for different types of violations -- because not all...