DUI & Professional Licenses

September 12, 2018By Brian Manchester

Many people make the mistake of assuming a DUI is irrelevant to their professional licences. This idea couldn’t be further from the truth!

The reality is a DUI conviction can cause long-term, unexpected problems with your career and reputation. Some licenses may be revoked or suspended as a result of your DUI conviction. In some professions, future license applicants may be rendered ineligible due to a DUI. In many cases, the professional license holder is required to report the conviction to their respect board or employer right away. As such, it is essential to seek legal counsel immediately after the arrest.

Here are just small samplings of the licensed professionals affected by a Pennsylvania DUI:

Lawyers

A DUI conviction must be reported to the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of PA, which governs lawyer licensing. If you fail to disclose your conviction, you may face discliplinary action, which can vary greatly, depending on your record. Your ability to obtain professional insurance can be comprimised or you may face higher insurance rates as a result of your convinction.

Teachers, Schools, Administrators, Paraprofessionals and Other School Employees

Pennsylvania State Law requires teachers to complete a standardized form indicating whether the school employee has been convicted of a crimain offense or not. DUI is one of the offenses they are required to report. If the DUI involved drugs, a high BAC, or more than one DUI offense, you may lose your teaching or administrative license.

Many schools also require the disclosure of convictions on new employee applications, making it difficult to compete for a job in Pennsylvania’s highly competitive system.

There are many political aspects that can affect your standing as a teacher as well. Parent and political groups, such as MADD, will start letter-writing campaigns to the school board, which may force them to take harsh action against an employee charged with, or convicted of, a DUI in Pennsylvania.

Police

A DUI conviction is handled internally within a police officer’s municipality. The degree of penalties and consequences resulting from a DUI conviction may depend on the type of DUI and the number of previous convictions. Like school employees, police officers are subject to politics in their field, which could lead to an officer’s suspension or termination.

Pilots

A pilot is required to report a DUI conviction and any resulting driver’s license suspension to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Civil Action Security Division without 60 days. Otherwise, your pilot’s license is in jeopardy. Because of liability issues, some commercial airlines have been known to fire pilots charged with a DUI, even if it is a first-time offense.

Stock Brockers

A stockbroker is required to report any conviction to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Failure to disclose the DUI immediately could lead to your disqualification. Large brokerage firms typically require their stockbrokers to report DUI convictions. Your ability to obtain professional insurance can be comprimised or you could face higher insurance rates.

Posted in: DUI Blog , Pilot License Issues

Tags: DUI, DUI attorney, DUI Defense, DUI lawyer, Professional Licenses, underage dui,

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About the Author

Brian Manchester is the owner of Manchester and Associates in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. His law firm practices DUI and Criminal Defense exclusively throughout the entire state of Pennsylvania in both state and federal court. He has a team of two other lawyers with a combined 50 years of trial and courtroom experience are also trained in science and many other skills that are relevant to criminal defense to include the psychology of persuasion as well. One of his associates is a former District Attorney (chief prosecutor) in central Pennsylvania. Mr. Manchester and his team routinely handle serious felony cases including murder, manslaughter, sex crimes, complex financial crimes, and serious assaults. A large part of Mr. Manchester’s practice is the defense of alcohol and drug-based DUI offenses as well as drug cases using science and analytical chemistry. Mr. Manchester has training as a Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Instructor. He is one of a handful of Certified Lawyer-Scientists as recognized by the American Chemical Society in the United States. He is a member of NCDD and is a Founding Member of DUIDLA. He is also a member of the American Chemical Society with over 170,000 members across the world. To date, he is the only practicing criminal defense lawyer to belong to the Society of Forensic Toxicologist where he is an Associate Member. Mr. Manchester speaks nationally on the topic of blood and drug testing for alcohol as well as the metrological (measurement uncertainty) in forensic testing.

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