How a Family Violence Conviction Can Affect Your Career

Many criminal convictions can potentially affect your career prospects or even cause you to lose your job. Family violence (i.e. domestic violence) convictions, in particular, can wreak havoc on your professional life. They tend to carry a greater stigma than other convictions and raise more red flags in the eyes of employers. And in some fields, you can even lose your professional license due to a family violence conviction.

If you are facing family violence charges in Texas, it’s wise to familiarize yourself with the ways a conviction can affect your career before you make any missteps in your case. While it’s always best to review the specific facts and circumstances of your case with a family violence attorney to get a good idea of what you could face, here’s some helpful information about how a family violence conviction can affect your career.

State-licensed employees include everyone from cosmetologists to electricians to teachers. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) runs background checks on all new license applications and renewal applications. It sets forth guidelines for determining whether license applicants are eligible based on their criminal convictions. The TDLR will forward any applications from candidates with a criminal conviction to an internal attorney for review. Generally speaking, TDLR will consider many factors, including:

The time that has passed since the commission of the crime, the work conduct of the applicant before and after committing the offense, the evidence of the applicant’s rehabilitation and the facts and circumstance surrounding the offense will also be top considerations.

The bottom line is a family violence conviction can potentially impact your eligibility to obtain or renew a state-issued professional license. But every case is unique, so discuss your situation with an attorney to identify what factors may impact your eligibility and what you can do to minimize their impact.

Employees who are not state licensed should know that they will likely need to discuss such a conviction many times over their professional career. Family violence convictions are treated as serious crimes against persons, which can cause any employer to think twice about hiring or promoting someone who has committed such an offense. You will not be able to remove a family violence conviction from your record, and employers in some fields may deny applicants with a family violence conviction if it would put other employees, clients or customers at risk.

The most important take away here is that a family violence conviction carries significant stigma due to the nature of the relationship between the alleged offender and the accuser and the acts that are seen as family violence in the eyes of the law. Any conviction for a crime such as assault family violence, assault, kidnapping or harassment can cause employers to see you as a liability, especially if you work with people or are in a customer-facing role. Also, the TDLR will run a criminal background check on all applicants, no matter the occupation.

Consult with a Dallas-Fort Worth family violence defense attorney if you are facing family violence charges and have concerns about your job. Don’t overlook the potential collateral consequences of a family violence conviction, which have a far broader scope than the court-imposed penalties. Involving an attorney in your case ensures you explore and consider all your options for fighting your charges and protecting your career.

If you are facing family violence charges in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, JBabb – Criminal Defense Attorneys is here to help. JBabb – Criminal Defense Attorneys will advise you on the best course of action to protect your freedom and your career. With law offices in Dallas and Denton, our attorneys provide compassionate legal services to Dallas, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Rockwall and Tarrant counties. Our experienced attorneys handle a wide variety of criminal cases including DWI/DUI , assault/family violence, and other misdemeanors and felonies. Call (214) 329-9433, email team@jbabblaw.com, or fill out our confidential online form to schedule a consultation with a Dallas-Fort Worth criminal defense attorney.

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