Posts by Nursing Law Center
▪︎ From Nurse to Business Owner: Building and Marketing Your LNC Business
Becoming a Legal Nurse Consultant requires more than knowing how to review medical records and analyze cases. If you plan to work independently, you are also becoming a business owner. That means deciding how to structure your business, whether you need an EIN, fictitious business name or local business license, what insurance you should carry,…
Read More▪︎ Why Every Legal Nurse Consultant Needs a Strong Sample Report
As a nurse attorney, I have reviewed countless medical records, expert reports, legal nurse consultant summaries, and other forms of medical-legal work product. One of the clearest differences between an experienced Legal Nurse Consultant and a beginner is the ability to turn a large volume of medical information into a report that is organized, concise,…
Read More▪︎ $7 Million Verdict in Failure to Diagnose Breast Cancer Case
Florida radiology providers must implement policy changes and pay out nearly $7 million after missing a woman’s breast cancer on imaging, leading to an eventual terminal diagnosis. Plaintiff was 59 years old at the time, and visited the Medical Center in Florida on Feb. 8, 2022, after discovering a palpable breast lump. The radiologist, who worked…
Read More▪︎ Chart Snooping, Social Media Posts, and HIPAA: Career Risks Every Nurse Should Know
By Laurie R. Elston, J.D., B.S.N. Most nurses understand that HIPAA, 45 CFR § 164.506, is important. Unfortunately, many do not realize how quickly a seemingly harmless action can become a career-threatening event. In my years as both a nurse and an attorney, I have seen nurses disciplined for actions they never believed would result in…
Read More▪︎ How to Turn a Job Description into a Powerful LNC Resume: A Nurse Attorney’s Guide for LNCs
As a nurse attorney who has trained hundreds of Legal Nurse Consultants (LNCs), I see the same mistake over and over again: nurses who list their nursing skills instead of revising them to reflect the legal skills attorneys are looking for in a LNC. Nurses may read a job description and think, “I’ve never done…
Read More▪︎ Failure to Document Nursing Care
We’ve all heard the adage “If it’s not documented, it wasn’t done.” This is a result of the fact that if a nurse doesn’t document the care and treatment he/she provided to the patient, it may appear as if the care was not provided – even though it was provided. The failure to provide care…
Read More▪︎ 2026 Nurse Malpractice Report
If nurses know the areas of nursing that pose the highest risks, they can be more prepared to avoid these risks. At the end of this article I will provide you with some links to courses designed to empower you by giving you practical tools and strategies you can incorporate into everyday practice. Most nurses…
Read More▪︎ Do You Have What It Takes to be a Good Expert Witness? An Attorney’s Guide For Nurses Who Want to be an Expert Witness.
As an attorney who hires medical and nursing experts, and testifies as an expert myself, I can tell you this: most nurses who are curious about expert witness work are far closer to being qualified than they think—but many are not prepared for what the job actually requires. Expert witness work isn’t just about having…
Read More▪︎ Preventing the Preventable: A Legal Guide to the CMS “Never Events.”
“Never Events” – What They Are and Why Nurses and Legal Nurse Consultants Need to Know and Understand Them. ⚠️ What Are “Never Events”? “Never Events” is a term coined by the National Quality Forum (NQF) to describe serious, preventable, and clearly identifiable medical mistakes that should never occur in a healthcare setting. They represent…
Read More▪︎ Preventing Patient Falls: Legal and Clinical Lessons for Nursing Professionals
By Laurie Elston, JD, RN – Nurse Attorney and Legal Educator An estimated 50% of nursing home residents experience at least one fall each year. Falls are not only a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly but also among the most common bases for negligence claims against nurses and health care facilities.…
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