Eileen M. Talamante

Let me just start by saying that The Va. BON is not your friend. Eileen Talamante is your friend. You bet, she is an expensive friend, but that’s only because she is worth every cent you invest towards having her fight to preserve your professional license ( aka: your future earnings potential), and ...fight she will like a magnificent pitbull. It was absolutely delightful to watch her spank the BON’s adjudicator ( The nerdy little short man who also fancies himself as a sci-fi author) for trying to take false accusations about me and spin them into “facts” at my formal hearing which was closed/ thrown out as a result of Eileen’s hard work and diligence. It can be an uphill battle all the way when dealing with an administrative hearing where the BON’s attorneys only have to establish what they consider to be “clear and convincing” evidence. The burden of proof is NOT “beyond a reasonable doubt” as in criminal cases. Take my word for it, you will not be able to “clearly convince” the BON of your innocence if you go it alone at your informal or formal hearing. Why? Because you will never be able to imagine all of the potential pitfalls that the BON will present you with, especially if you attempt to represent yourself, which is what I attempted to do at my informal hearing. However, Eileen knows the BON’s tactics, as well as how to shut them down. I am certain that if I had retained Eileen prior to my informal hearing, there would have likely never been a formal hearing, my total legal expenses would have been much less, and I would have been back to work much sooner. So, be informed and make a better decision than I did. Get representation right away, early on. Because, the BON is NOT your friend. If you are being called for an informal hearing, it’s likely because the BON already believes that “clear and convincing” evidence already exists against you. The circumstantial evidence that was stacked against me was overwhelming. It was like a pit of quicksand and I was up to my chin. Eileen was the rope that pulled me out. For anyone who is actually guilty of some kind of misconduct, you would still benefit greatly from having Eileen’s representation in order to ensure that you fully understand how to best navigate the disciplinary process imposed on you by the BON and that they are not excessive in regards to their ruling.