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Lawyers have always counted on the expert testimony of medical professionals.  From coroners, psychiatrists and physicians, there is a definitive place for the medical professional in a courtroom.  A new trend, however, is taking a new slant on combining the importance of testimony from experts.  Legal nurse consultants are in demand these days.

We asked our own brilliant legal mind, A. Harrison Barnes, who is also the founder of LegalAuthority.com, whether he feels this new trend is here to stay or if it was a passing phase that will be out before we can say “medical malpractice suits”.  Here’s what he had to say:

Legal nursing consultants absolutely have a place in the legal field.  They are very valuable to a legal team and offer advice on any number of medical issues.  Their education is important and since this is a relatively new career path, these who fill the roles now will pave the way for future nursing consultants and their careers.  It requires, of course, extensive knowledge in the medical field and most firms will use registered nurses or nurse practitioners.  That said,  a working knowledge of the legal field is a big benefit, as well.

Legal nurse consultants provide assistance in any number of ways, including product recalls (such as drugs the FDA has pulled form the shelves), worker’s compensation cases, rape and sexual assault, medical malpractice cases and any others that affect the medical profession.  They may be asked to provide insight into posing the proper questions, their advice will be considered very important and they will often be relied upon to catch certain nuances that anyone outside the medical field might not be privy to.

While law firms have routinely partnered with physicians and others in the medical fields, nursing consultants are generally more often available for consultations and meetings with clients, making them a good choice for medical cases.  Ideally, a nursing consultant will have at least several years, and some firms require a decade, of experience.  They must have flawless records and usually will be required to pass an extensive background check.  This protects the firm and the consultant since an opposing team could “dig up the dirt” on the consultant and jeopardize a case.  Further, more colleges and junior colleges are adding legal/nursing combinations in terms of courses and most consultants will be required to have some level of educational background.

Think this is something that you could flourish in?  Check with your state’s licensing board and then be sure to visit LegalAuthority.com to see what positions are available.  Founded by A. Harrison Barnes, it’s a comprehensive site that brings together legal jobs from across the country and makes them available in an easy to use site.

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