Medical law is an essential subset of legal and medical practices that sometimes contributes to criminal justice work.
Specializing within the medical law field presents opportunities across countless positions at medical locations and law firms representing medical offices and companies, and insurance companies.
Understanding the role of medical law within different industries will help you be more informed and make the best career choice that meets your goals.
Medical law overlaps with criminal and healthcare laws, so it is generally referenced as legal responsibilities and the risk to medical patients and professionals.
The law also covers the scope of medical practices involved in legal proceedings where a healthcare legal professional provides insights into criminal case forensics.
If this sounds like the right career path for you, keep reading to learn more!
List of Jobs for Legal Careers in Healthcare
Forensic Psychologist
Forensic Psychologists hold a doctorate in psychology but also know legal and medical procedures to assist law enforcement with the psychological details of a criminal case.
They often provide professional opinions to legal teams and law enforcement regarding the thought process or motive of a crime.
Forensic psychologists are often required to interview suspects and present their psychological analysis to various teams and in court as a witness.
Although a legal degree is not required to hold this position, many Forensic Psychologists take law classes to assist with these types of cases and proceedings.
Their role is an important part of medical and criminal law that is often overlooked when considering a position within the medical law field.
The average forensic psychologist’s salary is $101,000 per year without additional financial benefits.
Health Lawyer
Health lawyers and attorneys defend doctors and other medical professionals in malpractice cases and also defend patients who have not received the proper treatment.
Health lawyers run the gamut of specializations, ranging from health insurance and accidents to personal injury claims or employment-related injuries.
Many are also involved in risk management and compliance with HIPAA, Stark Law, and other regulations.
Health attorneys may also be involved in fraud and abuse allegations, contract disputes, negotiations, drafting, intellectual property at medical device and pharmaceutical companies, and can work on issues related to end-of-life care, insurance coverage, and Medicare and Medicaid.
If you’re interested in becoming a Health Lawyer, the average salary is around $95,000 per year, depending on location, employer, and experience.
Healthcare Administrator
Healthcare Administrators are responsible for overseeing healthcare professionals to ensure they are following regulatory practices and medical laws.
These experts create and implement policies that improve the overall quality of patient care within medical facilities.
Healthcare Administrators must keep their legal and medical knowledge updated through research and continuing education activities.
They also must conduct training with staff to educate them on the latest procedures, rules, and regulations.
Other responsibilities include managing operations and staff through supervising, scheduling, training, and hiring, as well as ensuring that the daily operations run effectively and efficiently.
They must also manage budgets and resource allocation, be involved with operational efficiency improvements and patient care quality, communicate with patients and other departments, and be involved with strategic planning.
A Healthcare Administrator can expect to average an annual salary of $82,000.
Legal Nurse Consultant
Legal Nurse Consultants provide expert testimony to assist in medical cases.
Many work within legal teams to assess client injuries, analyze evidence on malpractice, provide overall medical insight, and gather medical records.
A Legal Nurse Consultant can be involved in investigations related to medical cases and even interview parties involved as experts in the field.
The national average salary for a Legal Nurse Consultant is $98,200 per year.
Medical Legal Assistant
Medical legal assistants support their legal teams through completing administrative tasks like scheduling consultations and appointments for medical attorneys.
These assistants utilize basic legal procedural and medical knowledge to assist medical and legal professionals while maintaining compliance with medical regulations.
The most common administrative tasks a Medical Legal Assistant may perform include drafting legal documents, summarizing medical records, assisting with trial preparation, managing calendars, assisting with filing legal documents, coordinating witnesses in medical court cases, and assisting with insurance work.
Medical Legal Assistant’s usually report to attorneys or paralegals.
The salary for a Medical Legal Assistant is $51,500 per year.
Medical Legal Counsel
A Medical Legal Counsel professional offers legal advice to medical facilities to ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
Most have a degree in Criminal Justice combined with a background in health administration.
Legal Counselors work as part of larger teams of legal professionals to guide their clients, and many negotiate legal agreements.
Medical Legal Counsels represent their clients in court or during regulatory proceedings, conducts thorough investigations into malpractice cases, and prepares legal documents.
Some Medical Legal Counsel experts also work toward fair medical malpractice settlements, and all must remain updated on healthcare regulations and law changes.
Within the position, there are several areas of practice, including Policy Development, Government Programs, Health Insurance Claims, Patient Rights, Healthcare Fraud, and Medical Malpractice.
The average salary of a medical Legal Counsel employee is $105,000 per year.
Medical Paralegal
Medical Paralegals (usually nurse paralegals) help lawyers with trial preparation and drafting legal documentation.
These professionals could specialize in interpreting and ordering medical records and may conduct client communication services and administrative tasks.
The biggest value of a Paralegal is their ability to conduct extensive research about a law or case that greatly helps the attorney with negotiation or courtroom preparation.
Additional responsibilities include preparing discovery requests, categorizing documents and medical records, communicating with opposing counsel, witnesses, and clients, preparing demonstrative exhibits, assisting in reviewing insurance policy language, drafting hospital policies, and ensuring regulatory compliance.
The average salary of a Medical Paralegal is $55,200 per year.
Personal Injury Paralegal
The primary focus of a Personal Injury Paralegal is to assist clients with the legal aspects of injury or accidents caused by other parties.
Personal Injury Paralegals have extensive knowledge of state civil procedures and court rules that help identify key pieces of evidence to establish a legal strategy.
These Paralegal professionals draft trial documents and client correspondence, alongside ordering and summarizing important medical records for trial preparation and research.
Personal Injury Paralegals may also assist in the discovery process, which is comprised of gathering information from opposing parties via depositions and interrogations, conducting legal research, interviewing clients, negotiating settlements, and tracking medical treatment.
Also, these medical legal experts may also prepare correspondence to various parties and manage and track medical liens against a settlement.
The average annual income for a Personal Injury Paralegal is $72,200.
Regulatory Specialist
Regulatory Specialists review and analyze medical facility protocols, then make revisions that follow Federal, State, and local laws.
Part of this process involves reviewing facility documentation, including legal, technical, marketing, and outreach materials.
These experts may draft or review proposals to gain government approval for drugs, medical devices, and other materials.
The average salary of a Regulatory Specialist is $81,000 per year.
Risk Manager
Risk Managers analyze various risk levels within a healthcare organization to ensure their compliance with safety regulations and laws.
Healthcare risk managers focus on managing insurance policies and malpractice claims.
Risk Managers may also train facility staff on how to best minimize risk to patients and other employees, and overall risk awareness.
In addition to assessing risk, most Risk Managers will also develop and implement mitigation strategies to eliminate or reduce said risks and respond to near misses or adverse events through the incident management process.
Other responsibilities include updating or creating procedures and policies to enhance compliance and safety, utilizing data to identify trends and patterns, ensuring adherence to industry standards and regulations, and working with other departments to address risks that have occurred or future risks.
The average salary of a Healthcare Risk Manager is $105,900.
5 Tips for Legal Careers in Healthcare While Looking for a Job
Define the Position and Understand the Role
There are many positions within the healthcare law field, so defining exactly what you want will help narrow your focus.
Once you have defined the role, it’s important to understand the nuances, daily activities, and responsibilities that accompany the position.
Medical legal professionals are multi-talented individuals who must have a vast understanding of the law, a strong grasp of medical terminology, and extensive knowledge of processes and procedures.
Those in more administrative roles but have excellent communication, software use, and research skills to help support other legal and medical staff.
Attention to detail, an ethical compass, and knowledge of the law and medical terminology are a must.
Gain Relevant Experience
To get into a new position, you must have some legal experience, which can be gained through volunteer work and internships.
If you are currently in school, try to tailor your curriculum toward the medical field and seek internships and volunteer work within the medical community.
Having medical malpractice experience can be of tremendous value to your career.
If you have a background in healthcare and are switching to the law, make sure to highlight your understanding of medical regulations, procedures, and high-quality patient care as these are all relevant topics to medical legal professionals.
Highlight Your Strengths
Highlighting your strengths, experiences, and skills related to medical law on your resume and during interviews will help you stand out.
Hiring managers don’t have time to read through every detail of each candidate’s resume, so highlighting these areas of strength will help cut to the chase.
Also, medical legal work involves continuous communication with legal teams, medical professionals, and clients, so developing strong communication skills will help you effectively express complicated information.
Job Search Strategies
The most effective strategies to implement while searching for a position in the legal medical industry are to start with career websites and online job portals specializing in healthcare law.
Also, healthcare, legal organizations, and hospitals offer plenty of job opportunities for consideration.
Furthermore, contact medical and legal recruitment firms and staffing agencies that specialize in healthcare.
Finally, leverage social media platforms for job openings in the healthcare law field.
Networking
Included in every list of tips for finding a job is networking.
Never underestimate the power of building meaningful professional relationships to help you start your career or make a transition into a new field.
The medical legal industry is no exception.
Networking must begin during college with professors and classmates.
Joining degree-specific school organizations will help during and after college, as the same individuals enter the industry.
Once graduated, attend healthcare job fairs, seminars, and conferences to connect with existing industry professionals.
Also, make sure to join professional organizations and engage with online communities to further expand your network, learn about new laws and regulations, and have access to job listings.
Also, leveraging professional and personal connections is critical to career growth.
Finally, use LinkedIn and other social media platforms to connect with professionals within the healthcare field.
A doctor too, maybe? Or is it okay to be a lawyer and a doctor simultaneously? I think that would be great if it is applicable.
A health lawyer can be critical, especially when there are issues across the designated hospital. I watched so many cases where the hospital would be bankrupt if the issue were not addressed.