What happens to my professional license if I get arrested in Texas?

A criminal arrest in Texas can trigger a separate investigation by your professional licensing board, independent of the criminal case. Most healthcare licensing boards — including the Texas Board of Nursing, the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, and the Texas Physician Assistant Board — require licensees to report criminal charges and investigate independently. The criminal case and the licensing case are separate proceedings with different standards of proof and different potential consequences. It is critical to have an attorney who understands both before taking any action in either proceeding.

Can I lose my license even if my criminal charges are dismissed?

Yes. Licensing boards operate under a preponderance of the evidence standard — meaning more likely than not — which is significantly lower than the beyond a reasonable doubt standard required for criminal conviction. A criminal dismissal does not automatically end a licensing board investigation or prevent disciplinary action. However, a favorable criminal outcome can be a powerful factor in a licensing defense strategy when handled correctly.

Why do I need an attorney who handles both criminal defense and license defense?

Because the two proceedings affect each other in ways that require coordinated strategy. Statements made in licensing board proceedings can be subpoenaed and used in criminal prosecutions. Certain criminal plea agreements trigger automatic licensing sanctions. The timing and sequencing of how each case is handled can significantly affect outcomes in both. An attorney who practices only criminal defense does not understand licensing boards, and an attorney who practices only license defense does not understand criminal law. Pat Ruzzo has practiced both for over 35 years.

Which healthcare licensing boards does Pat Ruzzo handle?

Pat Ruzzo represents healthcare professionals before the Texas Board of Nursing (TBON), the Texas State Board of Pharmacy (TSBP), the Texas Physician Assistant Board, and the Texas Medical Board. He represents registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and physician assistants facing licensing board investigations and disciplinary proceedings.

When should I contact a license defense attorney?

As early as possible — ideally before you have responded to your licensing board, before you have accepted any plea agreement in your criminal case, and before you have provided any statements to investigators. The clients who achieve the best outcomes are consistently those who seek legal counsel before making decisions that limit their options. Contact Pat Ruzzo's office immediately after an arrest or upon receiving any notice from your licensing board.

Texas Healthcare License Defense Attorney | Pat Ruzzo

You worked too hard for your license to lose it now.

Defending nurses, pharmacists, and physician assistants across Texas

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When Your Freedom and Your License Are Both on the Line

You got arrested. Or you received a letter from your licensing board. Or both. Now you are trying to figure out what happens next — to your criminal case and to your career.

Most attorneys can help you with one of those problems. Very few can help you with both.

I’m Pat Ruzzo. I have been a criminal defense attorney in Houston, Texas for over thirty-five years. I have tried more than two hundred criminal jury trials. I have also spent decades representing nurses, pharmacists, and physician assistants before their licensing boards — because I recognized early in my career that healthcare professionals facing criminal charges need an attorney who understands both the courtroom and the boardroom.

When your case involves a criminal charge and a licensing board investigation, the strategy in each proceeding affects the other. A plea agreement that seems favorable in criminal court can trigger automatic license revocation. A detailed statement to your licensing board can be subpoenaed and used against you in your criminal case. These are not hypotheticals. They happen regularly to professionals who hire attorneys who only understand half of their problem.

I understand all of it. That is why healthcare professionals throughout Texas call my office when they are facing the worst situations of their professional lives.

Practice Areas

Healthcare License Defense

If you are a nurse, pharmacist, or physician assistant facing a Texas licensing board investigation — with or without accompanying criminal charges — I can represent you. I have handled cases before the Texas Board of Nursing, the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, the Texas Physician Assistant Board, and the Texas Medical Board.

Healthcare licensing defense is not a sideline for my practice. It is a core focus, and it is built on thirty-five years of criminal defense experience that most licensing attorneys simply do not have.

Nurses facing Board of Nursing investigations after criminal charges
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians facing Board of Pharmacy discipline
Physician assistants facing PA Board or Medical Board proceedings
DWI charges and their effect on professional licenses
Drug diversion allegations and criminal charges
Any criminal charge that threatens your professional license

Criminal Defense

My criminal defense practice covers the full range of criminal cases in Texas state and federal courts. I have defended clients against charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, drug possession and distribution, DWI, sexual assault, burglary, theft, and many others. I have obtained dismissals in serious felony cases, not guilty verdicts at trial, and negotiated outcomes that have kept clients out of prison and protected their careers.

For healthcare professionals, I bring something most criminal defense attorneys cannot: a clear understanding of how the criminal outcome will affect your professional license, and the ability to structure resolutions that protect both.

Why Criminal Defense Experience Matters for Your License

Most attorneys who handle healthcare licensing defense come from civil or administrative law backgrounds. They know the board procedures. They know how to respond to investigations. What they do not know is criminal law — and that gap creates serious problems when their clients also have criminal charges.

They do not know which plea agreements trigger automatic license revocation. They do not know how to protect against self-incrimination when responding to board investigators. They do not understand how to coordinate timing between proceedings to produce the best outcome in both.

I know all of these things because I have spent thirty-five years in criminal courtrooms across Texas. My criminal defense experience is not a credential. It is an essential tool for protecting healthcare professionals who are fighting on two fronts at once.

Healthcare Professionals I Represent

My license defense practice currently focuses on three professions. Each has its own licensing board, its own rules, and its own disciplinary process — and each intersects with criminal law in specific ways that require specialized knowledge.

Nurses (RN, LVN, APRN)

Texas has more than 300,000 licensed nurses. The Texas Board of Nursing receives thousands of complaints each year and investigates nurses for criminal charges, substance abuse, scope of practice violations, and other conduct. For nurses, a criminal charge does not just threaten your freedom — it triggers a separate BON investigation that can cost you your license even if the criminal case is dismissed.

Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians

The Texas State Board of Pharmacy is one of the strictest licensing boards in the state. Drug diversion allegations, prescription fraud charges, and other criminal matters carry severe consequences that go far beyond the criminal case. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians face the loss of licenses that represent years of education and substantial lifetime earning potential.

Physician Assistants

Physician assistants practice under the oversight of both the Texas Physician Assistant Board and the Texas Medical Board — a dual regulatory structure that creates unique challenges when criminal charges arise. PAs face heightened scrutiny around prescribing authority, and any criminal allegation related to controlled substances can threaten both their license and their freedom simultaneously.

A Track Record That Speaks for Itself

Over more than three decades of practice, I have obtained dismissals and favorable outcomes in cases involving the most serious charges in the Texas criminal code — aggravated robbery, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping, continuous sexual assault of a child, drug distribution, and many others. I have also guided healthcare professionals through licensing board investigations and disciplinary proceedings, helping them preserve licenses that represent their life’s work.

Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. But my record reflects what thorough preparation, aggressive defense, and strategic thinking can achieve.

Your Next Step

If you are a healthcare professional facing criminal charges or a licensing board investigation in Texas, contact my office today. The sooner you have experienced legal counsel, the more options you have.

Call 713-523-1930

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