Lori: I would say that happened about the time I was getting a divorce, which was 20 years ago. That was the first time I was involved with the legal system to learn how things work. After that I just continued working my job at the hospital. But then I kept getting these brochures in the mail from LegalNurse.com and I thought this is something I might be interested in doing. It took a few years for me to finally get there, to say, “Yes I want to do this.” Once I did the program it was like, “Wow! I love this.This is my second love in my work.”
Vickie: What did you love about it?
Lori: I just like the legal aspects and looking at it from the defense side and the plaintiff side. There’s always two sides to a story. All my knowledge that I have gained from working in the hospital and my other clinical experiences helped me to understand different aspects of a clinical situation and understand what should have been done, and maybe was not done, and how a case can be built on that type of information.
Vickie: I know that you work as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant inside a plaintiff law firm. How did you get that job?
Lori: That’s a long story. I’ll start back when I was in Illinois in 2019. I was just ready to do something different. I was a professor at a college of nursing and needed a change and I could change at that time. My family was at the point where they allowed me to do that. I started applying for jobs and found out they were all in Atlanta. So I thought, “Well maybe that’s where I need to go.” I applied for two positions and was offered a job interview for one and then another but got accepted for the first one. That’s when I made the trek. I cleaned out my house and moved down here.
Vickie: Congratulations. That is a significant move.
Lori: It was and it all felt right. It did not ever feel like it was the wrong thing to do; it always felt like it was what I was meant to do.
Vickie: That’s awesome.
Lori: My family supported me and my kids supported me and I just did it. It just felt so right.
Vickie: You mention family support, that’s so important in being successful. Can you expand on how that made a difference in your being able to move forward with your career goals?
Lori: It was very helpful because they did not want to hold me back. They love me enough to let me go to pursue my passion. Now my mom and dad were going, “Oh really, you really want to do that?” I said, “Yes I do.” Mom didn’t tell me this, but she told one of my friends, “I’m just so glad Lori was able to get away from Adams County, Illinois and make it to Atlanta and do what she loves to do.” They were supportive. She still is. Yes they miss me, but we keep in contact.
Vickie: A lot of CLNC consultants work independently, and I’m enjoying this opportunity to speak to you about having the job inside the law firm. What would you say is a typical day for you inside the law firm?
Lori: First of all, I have a hybrid schedule. I work three days in the office and two days at home, and most other people do that now in the law firm. Our boss is very flexible with that. But a typical day would be checking emails first, answering those and addressing anything that needs to be done emergently. Then I also have cases I’m on to do med-chrons or find experts.
Vickie: By med-chrons you mean chronologies? I’m just explaining that for any nurse that might not know what we’re talking about.
Lori: Yes, and those are our cases. Then the second half of my position is screening new cases that come in and that’s very sporadic, but it seems like when we are busy we are knock down busy with new cases and it’s my role to determine which of those are cases and which are not. I love doing that and I’ve learned so much from my boss about how to do that. It’s been very beneficial for me to learn that side of the position.
Vickie: I think something that is quite unique when you’re working in-house inside that law firm is that you have a lot of that early interaction with the potential clients. A lot of times if you’re an independent consultant, depending on the attorney, you may or may not get involved at the very beginning. You might get called in a little bit later. But as you’re suggesting, this is a really fun part of the job – being able to help these attorneys make these very early decisions. I know that you’ve also consulted independently for attorneys. What would you say is different working in-house versus consulting independently?
Lori: I liked working independently. However, I’m not a marketing type person and that set me apart from my other friends who like to pursue the marketing aspect in getting cases. That is the main difference between working independently and working in a firm. Where I’m at I don’t have to worry about work; it’s always there. I always get the paycheck and it’s all good.
Vickie: I understand you have a very nice salary and good benefits, not that you’re going to expand on the preciseness of it, but would you say it’s better than in the hospital?
Lori: Not only the base pay, but the other benefits package. The firm pays for my health insurance and there’s a 401k. I’m flexible with time off, and if my family gets ill I can go back to Illinois and work remotely and be with them. It’s just a very flexible schedule.
Vickie: That’s fantastic. I know that you work with about four different attorneys. What’s that like and how do you manage those different personalities?
Lori: I’m the new kid on the block in the firm and also the first CLNC consultant that my boss has ever worked with in the firm. I think he’s worked with others independently before I got there so he kind of knew. He’s also active on LinkedIn, so he knows what’s going on. He was very receptive and he has attorney meetings weekly. He meets with the attorneys as a group each week and lets them know, “Hey, we’ve got a new legal nurse consultant. She’ll be coming and I encourage you to work with her” and to delegate what they normally would have done on their own. They delegate the timelines, the med-chrons, plaintiff arguments, defense arguments and experts. It’s a way for them to let go a little bit so they can focus on their work as an attorney.
Vickie: Are they different personalities?
Lori: Yes, but that’s just people. You get used to it and just go with it. It’s okay.
Vickie: I think nurses know how to do that anyway. We’re kind of used to working with a lot of different personalities. You mentioned that you sometimes help the attorneys take on things that they would formerly do themselves. I think you and I both know there’s no way that an attorney can do a chronology of the relevant parts of this person’s medical history and medical records in the way that you can. Would you agree with that?
Lori: I agree.
Vickie: They think they can, but they really can’t.
Lori: That’s true.
Vickie: Are they surprised or were they surprised when they saw what you were able to do for them?
Lori: Work products for a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant can be very comprehensive. It just depends on what they want you to focus on. But most of the time they want a comprehensive timeline in addition to a summary. And a summary is not just a paragraph. I break it down into different categories so they know the different aspects of a summary regarding records reviewed, any pre-existing conditions and so on. They have a blueprint of what the case is like.
Vickie: Do they appreciate that you bring something to the table they really can’t deliver?
Lori: Yes, and sometimes it takes them a while to get to my work product because they’re so busy. It is something else that they have to read, but they do appreciate the conciseness and the viewpoints that I present.
Vickie: What would you attribute your success within that law firm to? What kind of qualities do you deliver to them that’s important for your success?
Lori: I noted during my interview that the attorney really liked me personally. We just got along like we were best friends. It was just kind of a connection that I couldn’t quite explain, but that part of it just fell right into place. On top of that I’m very organized, precise and knowledgeable about things. I’m straightforward, objective and don’t beat around the bush. The attorney once told me, “If you’re honest with me about everything, there’s not an issue.” So honesty is the best policy regarding a case. We might think it’s kind of a case or it couldn’t be a case. But if we decide it’s not a case, it’s sometimes better for the firm because then they don’t have to spend so much time working it up, to find out that we shouldn’t have done this. Just being knowledgeable, objective and straightforward with the attorney is very important.
Vickie: I know you do a lot of personal injury cases and I know you do some medical malpractice also. But a lot of RNs interested in becoming Certified Legal Nurse Consultants automatically think about helping attorneys on medical malpractice cases. Can you share how you make a difference in these personal injury cases? What’s your role in terms of the analysis part? I know you do the chronologies, but what are you analyzing for these attorneys that helps to make a difference in these cases?
Lori: The main issue in personal injury cases is pre-existing conditions. That is a huge aspect. We just settled a case this week about a person who had been in car wrecks four or five times prior to this current injury. I had to go back and review the records and determine precisely what the injury was for this last incident and that it was not present during the other accidents. That was very beneficial. On top of a concussion and depression, and how the current incident impacted his depression. The case just settled and they were so happy.
Vickie: Congratulations! For personal injury cases (for all the RNs listening), you can definitely help the attorneys understand the injuries that are being alleged in the case and help the attorney assess whether or not those injuries were really caused by the incident or the accident. How would you say being a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant has changed you or changed your life?
Lori: You’ve heard the quote, “If you find something you love to do, you never work a day in your life.” I work with my boss, I don’t work for him and I’ve never been able to say that before for any other job I’ve been in. I think it’s just a passion for what I do and the planets just lined up perfectly to where I’m where I need to be and it’s all worked out.
Vickie: I think that’s a beautiful statement about your boss. You said something earlier, and it doesn’t surprise me how you’re describing the relationship now, because you said he meets once a week with the other attorneys and with you. That’s a special attorney that believes in the power of that communication with their team, so it sounds like everybody’s got a good thing going there together. Lori what’s your definition of success?
Lori: Being happy with what you’re doing.
Vickie: Very good! Thank you and I wish you more success and more happiness. Thank you so much.
Lori: Thank you.
P.S.Comment here to congratulate Lori on her CLNC Success.
LegalNurse.com is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
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.
