Jim McGovern

Two days after Christmas 2017 I received notice from OBN that they were going to reprimand my license. I was devastated and scared. I immediately contacted my employer and discovered that an LPN who worked under me had also received the same notice from OBN. My employer stood behind both of us and s...aid they would pay all of our legal fees. I hired Jim McGovern. From the very first time that I spoke with him, he relieved my fears and eased my anxiety. He asked very thorough questions about what had happened and when he was done he told me that he did not want me to worry about this for a single moment. He said that he would work it out and not to worry. He was very reassuring and I can't tell you how much that meant to me at that time. I was scared out of my mind and the whole situation had filled me with doubt and made me question my own abilities and choices. Jim told me not to worry about it and especially not to let it affect me at work and how I cared for my patients. That was huge for me. Because I was doing just that. The whole thing rattled me to my core and completely undermined my self-confidence. Besides getting a written statement from me, he spoke at length with my administrator and D.O.N. about the situation and had them write statements on my behalf. He communicated with the attorney for OBN on my behalf and kept me updated on the progress of my case. He was very up front with me from the beginning. When he initially told me not to worry abut a thing, that he would "work this out", he added the caveat that it would take a while, probably months, (and it did) but in the end, he did exactly what he said he would do. The Board closed the investigation without reprimanding my license. I was only required to do specific continuing education as part of my continuing education for license renewal. I was so relieved when I was notified by the Board that they had closed the investigation. As I stated in my subject line, I can't thank him enough. It took 3 1/2 months from the day I received the notice from the Board to the day I received notice that they had closed the investigation and every single day I lived with this hanging over my head. It was horrible. If it wasn't for Jim, I might have just left nursing altogether-I was that upset and discouraged. If you ever find yourself on the wrong side of OBN, don't just give in, fight back for your career and your livelihood. Hire Jim McGovern IMMEDIATELY. Trust me on this. It will save your sanity.

James McGovern has been my attorney since 2014. I hired Mr. McGovern after I received a notice of an investigation regarding my nursing license. I immediately knew from our intial phone conversation that he was experienced with the process of the Ohio Nursing Board and told me step by step what I cou...ld expect next. He also provided me with options and assured me that he could help. I followed all of the advice Mr. McGovern and am currently working as an RN. A couple things really stood out for me while working with Mr. McGovern; when I had to appear in person at the OBN, Mr. McGovern had me meet at his office and then drove me to the appointment downtown Columbus. This unexpected courteousy relieved a lot of anxiety and frustration and gave us a chance to talk prior to the meeting. Also, Mr. McGovern communicated promptly through email and kept my attorney fees to a minimum. I highly recommend having legal representation while dealing with any organization that has control over your licensure. I noticed that because of Mr. McGovern, it appeared that the OBN responded to his inquiries much faster than they would have responded mine. Mr. McGovern made me feel safe, reassured and I felt as if someone was on my side every step of the way.

My personal impression is that Mr. McGovern will REPRESENT you, but not fight for you. Every conversation is a fee. No question can be asked without a fee. Bills for everything. He claims my consent agreement sat in his Spam mailbox for over a month and he only looked for it when I called him to ask ...about. By then I had no option but to sign with permanent restrictions that limit my career choices. Yes I am practicing. But like he says, that is up to the BON. My impression is that he put a standard packet together, the BON saw I represented and complied and they signed off. I doubt he fought to get any of these restrictions removed. Now they are permanent with no chance of a change. My advice is to find a different attorney