Professional License & Permit Defense

A licensing or regulatory proceeding almost always has an early window for negotiation, so counsel should promptly contact the agency's enforcement attorney to try to resolve it before formal proceedings. If it isn't resolved, you can request a contested-case hearing at the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH), where an administrative law judge issues a Proposal for Decision that the agency's governing body then acts on. If you're unhappy with the decision, filing a timely Motion for Rehearing is critical because it is generally a prerequisite to appeal, after which you may appeal to Travis County District Court and, if needed, up to the Texas Supreme Court.

Usually an agency must give you notice and an opportunity for a hearing before acting against your license. But several Texas licensing statutes allow temporary or emergency suspension where the agency decides public health, safety, or welfare demands it — with the full hearing coming only afterward. If that happens, you are entitled to a prompt post-suspension proceeding, and counsel can push for an expedited hearing, negotiate interim conditions that let you keep working, or seek emergency relief from a court. The first days matter most; get help before you respond.

First, file a timely Motion for Rehearing with the agency — it is generally a prerequisite to any appeal, and missing it usually ends the case. Once the decision is final, you may seek judicial review under the Administrative Procedure Act, typically by filing in Travis County district court within 30 days. Most license cases are reviewed under the 'substantial evidence' standard: the court asks whether the record reasonably supports the agency's decision, not whether the judge would have decided differently — so building a strong record at the SOAH hearing is what wins appeals later.