Occupational License Law

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. We are uniquely qualified in the specialized field of California license law. Partner Mike Claessens has held a California contractor's license for 30+ years. Partner Christine McCall is a former California Administrative Law Judge with years of experience presiding over license law hearings and issuing rulings and orders. Partner Bob Cramer is a veteran litigator who has more than once appeared before the U. S. Supreme Court. All License Advocates partners are each former prosecutors who have handled dozens of jury trials and hundreds of court trials and hearings. Each of our partners has more than 30 years experience in litigation and administrative law. The depth of experience and breadth of skill and knowledge of our partners is the basis of our exceptional commitment to client service and superior results.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. What we most appreciate is the quality and character of our clients. California occupational licensees are, at heart, entrepreneurs. They have made significant investments of their time, money and effort in pursuing their occupational goals. They know how to get a job done; how to put their heads down and run toward an objective; how to soldier through hard times; how to persevere; and how to hold the course until they prevail.

Our clients are remarkable people, with remarkable accomplishments to their credit. Often, they forget to see themselves in this light.

We admire our clients' capabilities, ambitions, and determination and, as their legal counsel, we make the same quality of commitment and investment on their behalf. We are honored when a client chooses License Advocates Law Group as legal counsel. It is our duty and our privilege to make certain that the honor of that choice is evident in the quality of our service to our clients.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. The most common question we are asked is, of course, "how much will it cost and how long will it take?"

The answers to those questions are largely driven by the degree of fight that is made necessary by the State licensing agency -- something that is hard to quantify at the outset of the case. But this much is known and is always true: Defending the right to the occupational license will take far less time than necessary to become qualified for the license in the first instance. And the cost of defending or obtaining the occupational license will be far less than the costs already invested in the education, training, and testing to qualify for the license and the income that is forfeited and forever lost if the right to the license is not defended to the fullest legal extent.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. My favorite case is always the one I am working on at the moment. It's the case I am thinking about all the time, even when I am not actually "working." It's always the hardest case ever, and the one that matters the most.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. We wish that our clients knew how deeply we care about achieving a good result for them. We wish they knew how hard we try, how relentlessly we strategize, research and game-plan their cases. We wish they knew just how much the outcome of their cases matters to us.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. Continuing education is a constant in the professional life of good lawyers. We attend multiple multi-day seminars and practice clinics each year. We read all the new cases from the courts every single business day. We read the legal newspaper and the ABA practice board daily. We subscribe to the key publications in our practice area and we work hard to stay on top of the stack. We talk law constantly, and we think about it when we aren't talking.

Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

A. Law changes substantially constantly. New case law happens suddenly and often. Technology makes new techniques first possible, and then required, almost immediately. It is exciting to work in such a dynamic and fluid field, but the constant changes are also highly challenging and require relentless vigilance and attention. We think we are among the attorneys who thrive on these dynamics.