Expertise
How to Display Confidence when Talking to Attorneys
Your confidence is tested in numerous ways when you work with attorneys. You might be testifying as an expert witness, explaining a case to an attorney, or giving a talk to attorneys or paralegals. Trial attorneys are great at reading body language and assessing witnesses. They focus on credibility-the credibility of the defendant and the…
Read MoreThe Treacherous Homophones
A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning. Attorneys are very particular about how LNC reports are written. Don’t embarrass yourself by misusing these homophones. Please note that some of the word pairs aren’t pure homophones, such as lose and loose. I include them because they’re…
Read MoreUsing Stories in Legal Nurse Consulting
Remember how you felt as a kid when you heard stories? For my sons it was a highlight of their days when I read stories to them. Legal nurse consultants excel in helping the attorney tell a story. Every trial begins with an opening statement that lays out the attorney’s version of the plaintiff’s story.…
Read MoreHomophones – and we are not talking cell phones
Is It “There,” “They’re,” or “Their”? The inexperienced writer often misuses words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. Homophones are words that sound the same as another word but have a different meaning. Many homophones exist in every language to trip up the unwary. I focus in this blog on a…
Read MoreKill Your Adjectives: Trimming LNC Writing
Mark Twain said that. His actual words were, “When you catch an adjective, kill it.” He explained he meant most adjectives. He objected to them because they tended to create (adjective alert) flowery and verbose writing. Sometimes Adjective are Unnecessary The doctor’s face was dark, bitter, and belligerent, and he yelled at the patient in…
Read MoreIs it Medical Malpractice or Just a Bad Outcome?
I’m sitting on my hotel bed reading my friend’s medical records. It is the night before her appointment with a second opinion cataract surgeon at Wills Eye, a Philadelphia hospital that specializes only in eye disorders. As she paces nervously around the room, she says, “I know he screwed up my surgery. Do I have…
Read MoreHow to Create Stunning PowerPoint Slides
An attorney asks you to create PowerPoint slides to use in mediation or trial. Or you offer to teach a lunch and learn at a law firm or a topic at a conference. Here’s how to make your slides shine. 1. Learn how to use the slide master to create a uniform format for the…
Read MoreAre these hidden traps on your C.V. or resume?
You have accumulated a lot of great professional expertise and experience. Your client asks for a copy of your C.V. or resume. The difference between these two is primarily in the area of focus and length. A resume is shorter than a C.V. A CV provides a greater depth of information. A C.V. has no…
Read MoreThe Value of the Expert Fact Witness: Case
In this case, I served as an expert fact witness in a case involving an 80 foot tree that hit a car, killing the wife and paralyzing the husband. My pain and suffering report helped to settle the case. The facts of the expert fact witness case Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gorman and their children’s…
Read MoreTips for Natural Sounding Writing
You have just finished reviewing a set of medical records. The client asked you to describe the injuries the plaintiff sustained in the crash. You want your report to contain natural-sounding writing. Do you ever wonder if you are setting the right tone with your writing? When it comes to that, many LNCs freeze in…
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