What Is A Legal Nurse Consultant?
American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants
The primary role of the legal nurse consultant is to evaluate, analyze, and render informed opinions on the
delivery of health care and the resulting outcomes. For nearly 20 years, legal nurse consultants have acted as
collaborators and strategists, offering support in medically-related litigation and other medical-legal matters
in the following areas:
· Personal injury;
· Product liability;
· Medical malpractice;
· Toxic torts;
· Worker's compensation;
· Risk management;
· Medical licensure investigation; and.
· Other applicable cases.
Distinct from a paralegal or legal assistant, the legal nurse consultant is a unique and valuable member of the
litigation team. Legal nurse consultants bring specialized education and clinical expertise to the medically related
issues of the litigation process. The practice of legal nurse consulting is performed in collaboration with attorneys
and others involved in the legal process. The independent practice of law does not fall within the legal nurse
consultant's scope of practice.
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What Do Legal Nurse Consultants Do?
American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants
In the course of their work, legal nurse consultants may engage in any number of the following activities:
· Conducting client interviews
· Identifying standards of care, causation, and damage issues
· Conducting research and summarizing medical literature
· Helping to determine the merits of a case
· Preparing chronologies of medical events and comparing and correlating them to the allegations
· Educating attorneys regarding medical facts and issues relevant to the case
· Identifying and determining damages and related costs of services, including consulting with economists
in preparing a cost analysis for damages
· Assisting with depositions and trials, including developing and preparing exhibits
· Organizing medical records and other medically related litigation materials
· Locating and procuring demonstrative evidence
· Collaborating with attorneys in preparing or analyzing complaints, answers, and motions for summary judgment,
interrogatories, deposition and trial outlines, queries for direct and cross examination, document production requests,
trial briefs, demand letters, and status reports
· Identifying and retaining expert witnesses
· Acting as a liaison among attorneys, physicians, and client.
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Why Should You Hire
a Legal Nurse Consultant?
American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants
Because of expertise in medically related issues, a legal nurse consultant can bring the following benefits
to the litigation team:
· Cost-effectiveness. The legal nurse consultant works in selecting a viable case and maximizing
its value or, alternatively, assists in defending the article.
· Resourcefulness. The legal nurse consultant possesses a network of medical and professional resources
and contacts.
· Knowledge. The legal nurse consultant has a through understanding of medical issues and trends
related to the total litigation process. This information is custom-designed for the attorney, the client, and
the jury.
· Experience. The legal nurse consultant has a background of clinical experience, which includes
interpretation of medical records, documents, and medical-legal issues.
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What
Should You Look For When Hiring A Legal Nurse Consultant?
American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants
· A legal nurse consultant should bring the following characteristics to a litigation team:
· Experience, including a strong background in legal nurse consulting and solid clinical experience;
· Education, including nursing education, and other medical-legal related educational programs;
· Professionalism, including strong oral and written communication skills; and,
· Involvement, including a demonstrated commitment to the field through involvement in national and local
professional organizations.
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