Nicole Valentine

A false, anonymous allegation was submitted to the BRN against my license. I Received a letter from the BRN telling me I was under investigation & requested an interview to discuss said allegations. Knowing they were false I thought I'd just handle it on my own... so GLAD I DID NOT! The investigator..., no matter how nice & cordial, is NOT your friend! I almost got suckered into thinking it would be a simple process, (of course it would be easy... im innocent right?) even so much that the investigator was willing to drive 3 1/2 hours to meet me in my home town at a local restaurant & complete my portion of the investigation over a really good burger. (did you know the investigator has legal authority to do a random, observed urine drug test pretty much anywhere?) Yes... I almost got pee-tested with him staring over me in a public rest room! (true fact folks) Not that I wasnt willing, but really? Observed? In a public space?? Just on principal alone I think that is wrong but who am I right? I've been duped into innocently spilling my beans to an individual I dont know who has a badge and who's sole intention is to find the truth and/or dirt on me by any means necessary. I am so thankful I had Ms. Valentine beside me thru the interview & subsequent follow-up as the interview was brutal to say the least! Made me feel like I was being talked into admitting to something I did not do. Nicole helped me keep it together and kept the investigator on-track to deal with the allegation. After 9 long months and multiple emails & phone calls to calm my nerves I finally received the letter I was praying for... the closing of my file. Bottom line is this: If you receive ANYTHING from the BRN accusing you of anything at all, no matter how big or small or factual or false the issue is, call Ms. Valentine! She truly is a guardian angel and will protect you, your license, your reputation, and most importantly, your hard-earned career and source of income! I cannot thank this woman enough, and should the need arise you will be saying the same thing about her being by your side... Thanks for reading!

Nicole Valentine represented me with tenacity and honesty. I had prior convictions and needed to clear my record with the RN board. Nicole prepared all my documents and represented me. I was granted full licensure to test and no restrictions or actions taken. I’m so grateful to have Nicole representi...ng me and this will forever change my life for the better. Thanks to RN guardian. They are truly the best.

I found Nicole Valentine after a one month long search of lawyers who have experience in license defense in California. I chose Nicole for five reasons: She has a 5 star rating on AVVO She was recommended personally by a friend’s co-worker She had experience in license defense, specifically with ...the California Board of Registered Nursing She charged a reasonable rate Though she wouldn’t promise me success, she had been successful for the person recommending her, and had a good success rate. I arrived at this decision after a 13 year long legal nightmare. Here is why I needed help in 2018 from Mrs. Valentine: My license had an accusation by the BRN in 2010 relating to my care of a patient in 2005. I had already relocated to my home state of Washington. My attorney was able to secure an offer of probation, but the probation could not be done from Washington, forcing a relocation I was financially unable to burden He advised me to take a voluntary surrender of my license. He neglected to inform me that this was essentially equal to having your license revoked by the state, and carried most of the negative consequences. He was unaware that this would have consequences in Washington. As a result my Washington license was suspended. I found an excellent attorney in Washington who was able to get my license back within six weeks. I had lost my job as a pediatric ER nurse. In 2018 after a congressional change in hiring practices, I was terminated from my position as an ER nurse at the Veterans Administration hospital where I worked. I’m giving you a lot of background information because I think it’s important to know how bad of a situation Nicole Valentine of Goyette and Associates was able to resolve favorably for me. After a free consultation she felt that she would be able to get me the best possible outcome. She is knowledgable about the board, what they look for, and what to expect throughout the process. Over the course of a month, Nicole and her team helped me to put together a mitigation package that highlighted the past thirteen years of my nursing career. Included were letters of recommendation, performance evaluations, continuing education certificates and awards. Mrs. Valentine argued my case in front of an Administrative Law Judge, and based on the strength of our case, her knowledge of the BRN and it’s requirements, was able to successfully argue for complete reinstatement of my license. No probation. No further hoops to jump through. Words are unable to express my sincere and deep appreciation to Nicole for her work, for the efforts of her team in building my case, and for her expert and in-depth knowledge of what is required to come before the Board of Registered Nursing. In reading this, I hope that I have conveyed sufficient confidence to choose Nicole Valentine to represent you. I’m so glad I did.

With a DUI, as an RN in CA, the BRN can be a nightmare. Those people are not RN friends, as a matter a fact, they will try to trick you to enroll to a "Diversion Program" which is designed to ruin you, or just flat out ruin your career. BRN will make sure that you will fail and will never work as a n...urse again. Nicole has guide me through the process and provide me with laundry list of documents that needed and helped me with my personal statement. The whole nightmare ends up with a fine and citation which doesn't go public. Bravo, Nicole! I wish I hired you first when I got my DUI because my previous lawyer pretty much screwed me up, especially because you understand the impact of DUI to a nursing career (which my DUI lawyer did not know crap) Don't go facing the BRN alone. you will fail miserably, because of all the pitfalls designed to trap you! Nicole is the one that advised me to ignore the BRN's "Diversion Program" trick, and golly, was she right! With Nicole on your side, your chance of saving your license is improved by 200%!

I hired Nicole Valentine in February of this year after I made a really stupid decision in January and got a DUI. I am an RN in California and the board of registered nursing in this state is ruthless and unforgiving. Needless to say, I was terrified. If you are in a similar situation, listen to me: ...HIRE A LAWYER TO DISCLOSE YOUR CONVICTION. Don't go at this alone, it could cost you your career. Nicole is AWESOME. I hired her to disclose what ended up being a conviction for a wet reckless. The last year has been the worst year of my life because of this stupid mistake and I had no idea what to expect or how to proceed, and I had so much on the line. To be honest, I needed a friend as well as a lawyer. Someone to help navigate me through the process and hold my hand a little bit. It's such a hard time. Nicole was just that. As opposed to my DUI lawyer who was impossible to get a hold of, Nicole was available 24/7, actually took the time to explain stuff to me, and made me feel a million times better about going through this hell. She always took the time to answer my questions and gave me hope. She's awesome. If you are going through this, I am sorry, I know the pain. Do yourself a favor and hire this amazing lawyer. She will make this terrible experience manageable. I heard from the BRN about a week ago and was issued a citation and fine- the best possible outcome. Thanks again Nicole!