N.J. Division of Consumer Affairs · Board Matters

Defending the license that lets you practice.

The Bowne Barry Law Firm consists of Attorneys David C. Barry and Laura Bowne Barry. The Firm is dedicated to advising New Jersey mental health professionals on practice related matters and defending them before their licensing boards.

Request a consultation See how a board matter unfolds

Boards & Committees Handled

State Board of Social Work Examiners N.J.A.C. 13:44G
Prof. Counselor Examiners Committee N.J.A.C. 13:34
Marriage & Family Therapy Examiners N.J.A.C. 13:34
Alcohol & Drug Counselor Committee N.J.A.C. 13:34C
State Board of Psychological Examiners N.J.A.C. 13:42

(732) 238-8686 BowneBarry@gmail.com

About the Firm

New Jersey Attorneys Serving Mental Health Professionals

Large law firm expertise with the personalized attention and responsiveness of a small law firm.

David Barry, Esq. is an experienced attorney with a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. He is also a licensed social worker, with an MSW from Rutgers University. He has served as President of NASW NJ and as Chairman of NASW’ s National Ethics Committee. This unique background enables him to work effectively in advising New Jersey mental health professionals regarding practice issues and responding to licensing board complaints.

Laura Bowne Barry, Esq. is Of Counsel to the Firm, providing guidance on business and transactional matters.

Who This Practice Serves

Licensed clinicians, not general litigants.

Board defense is a different discipline from ordinary civil practice — it runs on administrative procedure, clinical standards of care, and a regulator that can suspend your ability to work. This practice is built around that reality.

N.J.A.C. 13:44G

LCSW & LSW

N.J.A.C. 13:34

LPC

N.J.A.C. 13:34

LMFT

Multiple boards

Group & agency practices

N.J.A.C. 13:34C

LCADC & CADC

N.J.A.C. 13:42

Psychoanalyst

All boards

Associate & provisional licensees

N.J.A.C. 13:42

Licensed Psychologists

Not sure if your license type is covered? Every mental health profession regulated by the N.J. Division of Consumer Affairs falls within this practice's scope.

Ask us directly

Practice Focus

Representation before Mental Health Licensing Boards.

Whether a complaint just arrived or a hearing is already scheduled, the goal is the same — protecting your license and your ability to practice.

Complaint response

Reviewing the allegations, assessing exposure, and preparing a written response that doesn't concede more than the record supports.

Preparing for Board

Preparing for and appearing alongside you at Board or AG investigator interviews and demands for records.

Consent order negotiation

Negotiating terms - reprimand, fine, CE, monitoring, or practice restrictions - before a matter reaches a hearing.

Reinstatement & reciprocity

Petitioning for reinstatement after suspension or revocation, and navigating applications with a disclosable history.

Proactive compliance counsel

Documentation, dual-relationship, mandatory-reporting, and record-retention guidance before an issue becomes a complaint.

Practice & Ethics Consultation

Practice Forms Review Legal/Ethical Case Consultation

What to Expect

How a board matter actually moves.

Every matter is different, but most follow this arc. Knowing where you are in it is the first step toward a plan.

Trigger

Complaint filed

A patient, employer, colleague, court, or insurer files a complaint or the Board opens an inquiry on its own.

Notice

Board inquiry

You receive a letter or records demand. What you send back, and how fast, shapes everything that follows.

Fact-finding

Investigation

Investigator interviews, chart review, and witness statements. Counsel prepares you and attends with you.

Decision point

Resolution or hearing

Most matters resolve by consent order or dismissal. Contested matters proceed to the Office of Administrative Law.

Outcome

Practicing forward

Compliance with any order, and — where needed — a path back through reinstatement or reciprocal licensure.

Why This Is Different From a Lawsuit

The board isn't your opponent in a fight. It's your regulator, for life.

A malpractice claim ends. A license doesn't - you'll be regulated by this Board for the rest of your career. Every response, admission, and order becomes part of that ongoing relationship.

Get in touch

The record is permanent

Consent orders and disciplinary actions are typically reportable to national practitioner databases and other states where you're licensed or seek to be.

Deadlines are unforgiving

Administrative response windows move fast, and a missed deadline can be treated as a failure to cooperate in its own right.

Clinical judgment gets relitigated

Board counsel will scrutinize documentation and treatment decisions against the standard of care - often years after the fact, from a case file alone.

About the Firm

Two attorneys, one focus.

Clear counsel for New Jersey mental health professionals — on the licensing matters that put a career at risk, and on the business decisions that surround a practice.

David C. Barry, Esq.

Attorney at Law · LSW · New Jersey

Focus Licensing board defense, Mental Health Practice advice

Admitted 1988 - N.J.

Law School Georgetown University Law Center

Based In Taylors, S.C. - advising NJ clinicians

David C. Barry

Represents mental health professionals licensed in New Jersey in matters before their state boards – from a first inquiry letter through investigation, negotiated resolution, or a Board hearing.

He is also a Licensed Social Worker, which shapes how he advises clients on the practice issues – documentation, boundaries, mandatory reporting – that can prevent a Board complaint from arising in the first place.

Mr. Barry is past President of NASW-NJ and former Chair of NASW’s National Ethics Committee. He helped draft NASW’s Code of Ethics (2017 revision) and has spoken at State, Regional and National Conferences. He has taught law and ethics to mental health students at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels for over two decades.

Schedule a consultation

Laura Bowne Barry, Esq.

Business & Transactional Attorney · New Jersey

Focus Business & transactional counsel

Admitted 1990 - N.J.

Law School Rutgers Law School

Honors Theodore Sorg Prize, Highest GPA in property courses

Based In Taylors, S.C. - advising NJ clinicians

Laura Bowne Barry

Currently serves as Of Counsel to the Firm. She brings a background as a business attorney to advising the Firm’s clients – helping mental health practices with the day-to-day business decisions that sit alongside their clinical and licensing obligations.

Ms. Barry is a former law clerk to New Jersey’s Appellate Division Presiding Judge James J. Petrella and brings deep experience providing small businesses with practical advice.

Schedule a consultation

Frequently Asked

Questions clinicians ask first.

Do I have to respond to a Board letter myself?

Can I keep practicing while an investigation is open?

Will this become part of a public record?

What does representation typically cost?

My employer or malpractice carrier has its own attorney. Should I just use them?

Get in Touch

Received a letter from your Board? Start here.

The sooner counsel is involved, the more options are on the table. A first conversation is confidential.

Phone

(732) 238-8686

BowneBarry@gmail.com

Office

18 Waters Meadow Trail, Taylors, South Carolina 29687

Urgent Deadlines

If a Board response is due imminently, call the office directly rather than submitting the form.