LegaSocial
Services Paralegal
Social services paralegal graduates specialize in areas of the law that combine
social services skills with legal skills. Graduates can begin their careers immediately
in the justice and correctional systems, or continue their studies by obtaining
a master's of social work or law degree.
Placement settings for social service
paralegals include:
- district attorneys' offices
- social service agencies
- victim-witness groups
- community service settings
- child advocacy departments
- probation departments
- prisons
These specialized paralegals are able
to utilize their social service skills in communicating
with clients and assisting in resolving issues or helping
clients through the court system.
Note: In order to sit for the social
work licensing exam or receive advanced standing in graduate
school, students must take an additional 24 to 27 credits
of social work courses.
Legal Nurse
Consulting
A legal nurse consultant (L.N.C.) is a registered
nurse who possesses both medical and legal knowledge.
The L.N.C. assists members of the legal profession with
cases involving medical issues, such as medical malpractice,
personal injury, product liability, or workers' compensation.
The L.N.C. functions in two main roles: as a consulting
expert or as a testifying expert. Some L.N.C.'s also
are involved in the catastrophic injury area by giving
advice about life care planning. Whether as an in-house
employee or independent consultant, the L.N.C. offers
a wide range of professional services. These include:
interviewing clients; screening cases for merit analyzing
and summarizing medical records and other evidence; researching
and evaluating medical literature; assisting in preparation
for and evaluation of depositions; identifying, locating,
screening, and consulting medical experts; and preparing
exhibits for settlement hearings or trials.
For admission to the legal nurse consultant
certificate program, an applicant must be currently licensed
to practice as a registered nurse and must have completed
2,000 hours of clinical practice as a registered nurse.
In addition, prior to receiving the legal nurse consultant
certificate, all candidates who do not possess an academic
associate's or bachelor's degree must have completed
a total of 60 college credits, of which 18 must be in
general education distributed across at least three disciplines,
such as course work in the humanities, sciences, or social
sciences. |
