what type of lawyer would I need to defend my professional license

You should look on the internet to locate an attorney with experience before the various state licensing agencies, including the board in your state that licenses social workers. Administrative law is a specialty of its own. There are major differences in this field of law and that of civil and criminal law. You want a lawyer with this special knowledge and expertise to not only establish whether any of the charges are unfoundeed, but to present mitigating facts and evidence.

In California, a licensee is entitled to due process; this includes a complete statement of the factual and legal bases upon which the Accusation of wrongdoing is made. As a social worker in California, one is entitled to receive the investigative and legal file as well as an opportunity for an administrative hearing. The hearing allows one to cross examine the state's witnesses, to challenge the evidence presented and to testify along with your own witnesses. This is a formal hearing akin to a trial to determine the validity of any allegations that have been made against you, and to determine whether and to what extent disciplinary action should be taken. The range of penalties are from a dismissal of the charges to a suspensionof one's license for a period of time to an outright revocation of one's license.