Practice Areas · Professional Discipline & Licensing
Your license is your livelihood. When it’s questioned, you need a lawyer who has sat on the other side of the table.
For ten years McCain served as a Commissioner on the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission, the body that investigates and prosecutes complaints against Indiana lawyers. He read the grievances, weighed the evidence, and voted on who was charged. Now he puts that knowledge to work for the professionals on the receiving end.
In Good Standing™ is the professional-discipline practice of Retain McCain, serving attorneys and all licensed professionals in Illinois and Indiana.
Anyone whose work requires a license.
The rules differ by profession, but the process — a complaint, an investigation, a hearing, a sanction — is much the same, and so are the mistakes people make when they face it alone.
Before the Illinois ARDC and IDFPR, the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission and Professional Licensing Agency, and the boards under them.
Don’t answer that letter alone.
Most disciplinary cases are won or lost in the first response. A complete, candid, well-organized answer closes many files. A defensive or careless one opens them wider. McCain has seen hundreds of both.
- Responding to a grievance, complaint, or board inquiry — the first letter matters most
- Representation during investigations and sworn interviews
- Disciplinary hearings before commissions, boards, and hearing officers
- Negotiated resolutions: agreed dispositions, consent agreements, and conditional admissions
- Appeals and petitions for review
- Reinstatement after suspension or revocation
Stay in good standing.
The cheapest disciplinary case is the one that never gets filed. McCain advises professionals and small firms on the questions that keep them up at night, before they become complaints.
- Confidential ethics advice before a decision is made
- Trust-account (IOLTA) compliance reviews for lawyers and firms
- Policies, conflicts checks, and risk management for small firms and practices
- Character and fitness: bar admission, licensing applications, and prior-conduct disclosures
- Ethics CLE and in-house training
- Expert consultation on the rules of professional conduct
An Indiana pharmacist, charged with negligence. Cleared — twice.
A patient’s vitamin D prescription was entered at fifty times the prescribed dose and refilled for months, passing several pharmacists at an understaffed pharmacy filling a prescription every ninety seconds. The State charged the pharmacists with negligence and incompetence. The evidence showed that McCain’s client, a pharmacist of more than thirty years with a spotless record, was the one who finally caught the error, stopped it, and alerted the family and the prescriber. After a full hearing, the Indiana Board of Pharmacy voted unanimously that the State had not proved its case. The State took the Board to court; in 2023 the court denied its petition and the Board’s decision stood. No discipline was ever entered on the license.
Past results are reported for information only. Every matter turns on its own facts and law, and no result described here creates an expectation of a similar result in any other matter.
What to expect
A confidential call
Bring the complaint or inquiry letter. We’ll tell you what it means, what the deadline is, and what not to do in the meantime.
The response
A complete, documented answer that addresses every allegation and shows the investigator who you are — not just what happened.
Resolution
Dismissal where the facts support it; the least severe outcome where they don’t; and a plan to stay in good standing afterward.
Common questions
I got a letter from the Disciplinary Commission / ARDC / the board. Is this serious?
Treat it as if it is. Many inquiries close after a good first response, but the deadline is real and anything you write becomes part of the record. Call before you answer.
Can I just explain myself? I didn’t do anything wrong.
Innocent professionals lose licenses by answering carelessly. The investigator is not your audience; the rule is. We make sure your explanation answers the rule.
Will my malpractice insurance cover this?
Many lawyers’ and professionals’ policies include disciplinary-defense coverage, often with its own limit. Check your policy, or send it to us and we will.
You served on the Commission. Isn’t that a conflict?
McCain left the Commission in 2021 and has no role in current matters. His service is a matter of public record and is disclosed in every engagement. What it gives you is a lawyer who knows how the process works from the inside.
Received a complaint? Call before you respond.
Confidential. Deadlines are short, and the first response matters most.
Request a Confidential ConsultationWhen the letter arrives
- Note the response deadline. Calendar it twice.
- Don’t call the complainant.
- Don’t alter, delete, or “clean up” any file.
- Don’t discuss it with colleagues who may be witnesses.
- Call us.