How Is a Legal Nurse Consultant Used in a Trial?

The legal nurse consultant is a vital part of the discovery portion of the case and can be heavily involved in developing trial strategy, preparing the trial notebook, and reviewing testimony and exhibits that they’re going to present in court.

In a plaintiff’s law firm the legal nurse consultant’s role is to develop the medical side of the story while the attorney concentrates on the legal side, with constant communication between the two. A legal nurse consultant is uniquely qualified to appraise deposition and medical testimony. Legal nurse consultants are often called to be expert witnesses or to arrange for medical expert witnesses as the facts of the case require.

An expert witness is one who by education or experience possesses superior knowledge about a subject about which the jurors may have no particular training. Therefore, an expert witness is allowed to give his or her opinion. Expert witnesses testify concerning standards of care. They’ll also testify to the extent of the injuries, as well as discuss the project impact in the future, what kind of long lasting facts is the plaintiff going to suffer as the result of this injury. Throughout the trial, the legal nurse consultant may also be asked to advise the attorney if things that the medical experts say are incorrect or incomplete.