I'm a legal resident, but was away for longer than 1 year. I had lived here for nearly 24 years before going overseas to teach english. Applied for citizenship when I came back but was denied due to disruption of my residency. Told I had to wait 5 years. It's been 3 years, I consulted with a lawyer and he says I could apply again and present my disruption as work related and show that I had intent to return. Is this true?

If I'm denied, how long would it be before I could apply again. Do i need to wait another 5 years?