UPDATE: How Certified Legal Nurse Consultants Are Successfully Navigating the Changing Landscape of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only changed our personal lives, it’s also changed our legal nurse consulting businesses. In this blog 5 Certified Legal Nurse Consultants discuss how navigating the changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged their CLNC® business. They also predict pandemic changes that are here to stay.
“At the beginning of the pandemic my CLNC business grew with new attorneys and new legal nursing challenges. I participated in a multitude of Zoom meetings and had little in-person contact. I contracted COVID-19 during the first phase of the pandemic and was ill for three months. I continued to work throughout my illness. I have given six depositions as a testifying expert, all of which were done via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have become more educated with Zoom meetings, creating and sharing documents, receiving medical records via electronic file sharing, creating and sharing PDF documents and social networking. The pandemic has created a new working arena for not only CLNC consultants, but for all of corporate America. Working from home is here to stay. Telemedicine and videoconferencing have changed the landscape of healthcare. I have learned to be highly efficient working from the comfort of my home.”
– Kaylin Chase, RN, BSN, CNLCP, CLNC
“My CLNC business slowed down in the beginning of the pandemic, but has since picked up. Attorneys have learned how to do more things remotely. One attorney that I work with has adapted to Zoom intakes with clients instead of in-person meetings. Now the intakes can be done from the comfort of the potential client’s home.
Marketing is something that I’ve always worked on, but during the pandemic I adapted my strategies. Instead of meeting the attorneys in person for an interview, I offer Zoom or FaceTime so they can see who they will be working with. I also send quarterly newsletters on postcards to attorneys, with general information on one side and my contact information on the other side.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic I believe that attorneys realize they can be just as productive working remotely as they can be working in an office. This has led to an increase in cases and everyone getting more done in less time. I believe Zoom meetings will be here to stay. It’s much easier to interrupt your day to hop on a 10-minute Zoom call than it is to attend in-person meetings with travel time factored in. As a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, I can meet with several attorneys for short meetings and to just check in. Two years ago, if I had multiple meetings in a day, they would take up most of my time and I would be less productive.”
– Dorene Goldstein, RNC, BSN, CLNC
“More and more attorneys are working remotely and spend fewer days at their office. This makes in-person visits almost impossible, but where there is adversity, there is opportunity. I began an expansive mailout marketing campaign to stay connected to the attorneys I’ve worked for in the past. I sent masks, hand sanitizer and other items with my company logo on them. I also contacted each attorney and their paralegals by phone to check in and see how things were going. I stay very active on professional social media sites, such as LinkedIn. Most significantly, videoconferencing has been my most successful and surprisingly welcomed marketing tool. Attorneys have embraced videoconferences and have requested to have them more frequently.
Additionally, the majority of my testimony has been provided virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. The transition to virtual testifying has come with challenges including issues with technology, audio/video glitches and inability to access case files and records. Despite the growing pains associated with this transition, virtual testifying has proven to be much more cost effective and time saving.
As a result of the pandemic, videoconferencing is the new norm. It saves time and money. I have updated and implemented a more distance-friendly marketing plan and more frequent follow up with my attorney-clients by phone and videoconferencing. I also maintain a more active presence on professional social media platforms.”
“I have gained more attorney-clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. While most attorneys I work with returned to the office in late 2020, there are still a few that work from home more now than before the pandemic.
The changing landscape of the pandemic has resulted in many positive outcomes for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. For example:
Attorneys have less work-related distractions when they work from home.
Attorneys may be more apt to check their email and social media accounts more frequently throughout the day.
CLNC consultants travel less for interviews and meetings because of the availability of videoconferencing. This saves time and money for both attorneys and Certified Legal Nurse Consultants.
Attorneys and Certified Legal Nurse Consultants have become more confident conducting quick Zoom meetings.
Videoconferencing helps establish a better interpersonal relationship with attorney-clients than email or phone calls.
Attorneys seem more eager to set up a quick videoconference rather than an in-person interview, resulting in increased opportunities for new attorney-clients.
I have connected with so many more attorneys throughout the pandemic, which has become profitable and rewarding for my CLNC business. Always remember, when you conduct business from the comfort of your home, it’s important to maintain the following professional standards:
Be timely for all videoconferences – sign on a little early in case you encounter an issue with your computer or internet.
Wear appropriate attire.
Ensure your camera angle captures your face appropriately.
Look at the camera and speak clearly.
I believe post-pandemic videoconferencing is here to stay. While the pandemic initially may have challenged people to get out of their comfort zone in regard to changing technology, videoconferencing has proven to be a very effective way to conduct business.”
– Michelle Neal, RN, BSN, CLNC
“During the COVID-19 pandemic I have had an increase in mass tort cases. Law firms are taking on more mass tort litigation to meet the demands of the public. There has been an increase in the new types of litigation being accepted as mass torts.
One of the challenges of the increased caseload is ensuring that the attorneys feel and see they are being heard and understood. Another challenge is the need to hire more quality subcontractors to meet the demand of the increased caseload. Subcontractor unavailability because of COVID-19 within their families has been an issue I’ve had to respond to. Deadlines must still be met when people are ill. I have created a plan to ensure the subcontractor is covered and feels we care, the work product does not suffer and deadlines are met.
I’ve had a lot of meetings with attorneys and subcontractors via Zoom during the pandemic. I have to schedule the right subcontractor for the meeting to provide insight and support to the law firm, ensuring the attorneys feel their needs are heard and a plan moving forward is one they are comfortable with. I also meet with and train subcontractors via Zoom to establish the law firms’ expectations of work product for the cases. Sometimes an attorney does not know what they want until they don’t see it. The COVID-19 pandemic has made our work environment change from a ‘gathering of minds’ (getting together and personally collaborating) to a less personal way of engaging. I have learned how to provide professional support via Zoom and other forms of communication without losing that personal touch to both the attorneys and subcontractors.”
– Abigail Stanley, RN, CLCP, MSCC, CLNC
Thanks to Kaylin, Dorene, Robert, Michelle and Abigail for sharing how they are successfully navigating the changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic.
P.S.Comment and share how you’ve adapted to the changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants (NACLNC®) is the largest and oldest association of legal nurse consultants.
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*The opinions and statements made by Vickie Milazzo, the founder of Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc. are based on her experiences and expertise, should not be applied beyond the specific context provided, and do not guaranty or project actual results. Vickie Milazzo is no longer involved in the operations or management of the business, but is involved as an independent education consultant.
