A medical paralegal is a person who works in both the legal and medical fields. Medical paralegals are frequently employed by law firms that specialize in medical malpractice litigation, where they conduct research on both the legal and medical aspects of proving a case. Other types of personal injury cases and/or cases in which the nature of injury is a key aspect of the law may be handled by these paralegals.
In general, paralegals assist lawyers in the preparation of legal arguments to be presented in court. When a lawyer presents a case in court or files a lawsuit, he must cite a variety of legal precedent, such as statutes and previous cases, to support his legal arguments and the position he wants the court to take. Paralegals are in charge of searching legal research databases like Lexis Nexis and Westlaw, as well as code books and other legal sources, for relevant law that applies to a specific case.
A medical paralegal may be required when the attorney’s research involves medical facts, such as the nature of an injury or a doctor’s breach of a reasonable duty of care. Because the outcome of such cases is based on medical facts, such as whether the doctor’s actions were reasonable in light of the circumstances, it’s critical to understand both the law and the medical decisions made. A paralegal without a medical background may not have a thorough enough understanding of medical terminology or medical decisions to fully conduct the research required by an attorney to build a case.
A medical paralegal frequently has both a medical and legal background. Former nurses are frequently employed as medical paralegals. A medical paralegal with a nursing certificate, as well as experience working in a law firm or paralegal education or certification, can command a relatively high salary; such paralegals are also known as nurse paralegals. Medical paralegals can come from a variety of backgrounds, including former physicians, EMTs, and others who worked in the medical field before deciding to pursue a career in law. These paralegals may work on a variety of cases, including medical malpractice cases, Social Security disability cases in which the client’s disability is disputed, and personal injury cases in which the client’s damages are disputed.