Legal nursing consultants are invaluable assets for attorneys, providing them with the nursing education and expertise on medical records that they need to pursue cases successfully. With their help, law firms, corporate legal departments, and solo attorneys can improve their efficiency and expertise in handling medical-related claims. In this blog post, we will discuss how a legal nurse consultant (LNC) can help attorneys save time and improve their legal practice.
What Is a Legal Nurse Consultant?
A legal nurse consultant is a registered nurse (RN) who specializes in the practice of law and medicine. RNs who become legal nurse consultants must complete additional training and specialize in the legal aspects of medicine, providing support services to attorneys to bolster their medical and legal knowledge for cases.
This specialized Education and training typically focuses on the application of laws, organizations, and professional ethics to the medical profession. In addition to their education and training, legal nurse consultants draw on their knowledge of medical diagnosis, treatments, and procedures they have acquired as RNs to evaluate medical documents and records and provide detailed and relevant reports.
How Can Legal Nurse Consultants Help Attorneys?
Legal nurse consultants can help attorneys in a number of ways, improving both their efficiency and expertise in handling medical-related cases. Here are some of the ways a legal nurse consultant can help attorneys improve their practice:
1. Identify potential medical-related legal issues
Attorneys often encounter unexpected medical issues in their cases, and having a legal nurse consultant on hand can help them identify and address these issues in a timely manner. Legal nurse consultants can also help attorneys see the medical side of a legal issue more clearly, allowing them to anticipate potential medical issues before they become problems.
2. Interpret medical records
When it comes to investigations or litigation involving medical-related claims, attorneys need to review and interpret a wide range of medical records, journals, and other documents. Legal nurse consultants can help attorneys interpret these documents, saving them valuable time and helping them identify the important evidence needed to make a strong case.
3. Conduct research and prepare reports
Legal nurse consultants can help attorneys conduct research on specific conditions, treatment options, or the effects of medical negligence. They can also provide them with detailed reports outlining their findings and recommending a course of action for the case.
4. Prepare questions and summaries
Legal nurse consultants can help attorneys craft questioning strategies and summaries that will help them make the most effective use of their time on the stand. They can assist in developing deposition questions or prepare witness summaries that can help attorneys focus their questioning during key phases of the litigation process.
5. Provide expert witness testimony
In cases involving complex medical issues, attorneys often need to call on an expert witness to testify as part of the lawsuit. Legal nurse consultants can provide compelling and factual testimony that assists attorneys in convincing a jury of their arguments.
6. Prepare demonstrative evidence
Sometimes attorneys need to use demonstrative evidence such as anatomical models, video or audio recordings, photographs, and timelines to explain complicated medical facts to juries. Legal nurse consultants can help them create these exhibits in a manner that is understandable and visually appealing.
Legal nurse consultants can provide attorneys with the legal knowledge and medical insights they need to pursue cases involving medical-related claims successfully. They can help to identify and interpret medical records, provide research and reports, prepare questions and summaries, act as expert witnesses, and create demonstrative evidence. Their services can be invaluable in helping attorneys to save time and improve their legal practice.
