Why having a lawyer at a Board meeting is a good idea?

If you are scheduled to appear in front of a Board in the State of Florida, such as the Contractor Industry Licensing Board or the Electrical Contractors Licensing Board, you have the right to have an attorney present with you and you should consider hiring an attorney for that purpose. Here’s one example why.

Earlier this year at a public hearing for the Florida Electrical Contractors’ Licensing Board, a license applicant brought his business partner with him as a witness to testify on his behalf. The business partner provided testimony, under oath, to the Board. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Instead of providing the supportive testimony that would have been helpful to the license applicant, the witness instead admitted (unknowingly, of course) to violating the Florida Administrative Code and contracting without a license. The witness thought he was just a solar energy salesman, not a contractor. However, in front of the entire public hearing and the Board members, the witness was informed by the Board that he had admitted to a violation (and a misdemeanor crime). Needless to say the applicant did not get licensed and the witness now faces obstacles that could have been avoided by hiring an experienced administrative law attorney.