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Becoming a Medical Malpractice LawyerA Challenging SpecialtyThere’s a great deal of money to be made as a Medical Malpractice Lawyer, but there is a significant amount of work and stress to go along with it. Becoming a Medical Malpractice Lawyer can be very rewarding too, especially when suffering individuals receive compensation that they truly deserve because of your efforts. As a Medical Malpractice Lawyer, you will help clients seek compensation for injuries received from a negligent medical professional through the legal process know as a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit. It’s not easy to become a Medical Malpractice Lawyer, but then it’s not easy to become a lawyer. After finishing high school, the first step to becoming a Medical Malpractice Lawyer is going to college and gaining your Bachelor’s Degree with a major in pre-law studies. The next step is to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and passing it with a very high score. This will require incredible amounts of study and preparation. Then, you will be able to submit your application to a law school that will accept you. The higher your grades have been in this process so far, the better choices in law schools you will have. Once accepted to Law School, you will study law for three years. During these three years, it is a good idea to apply for clerkships at a law firm that specializes in Medical Malpractice. This will give you some very valuable and practical entry-level experience with complex medical terminology and procedures by the time you graduate from Law School. After you graduate from Law School, you will take your state’s bar exam. This is a very difficult test on general and specific areas of law that takes two days to complete and it is common to fail with the first attempt. A Certified Medical Malpractice SpecialistAt this point, your goal will be to become a board certified Medical Malpractice Specialist, because that is the credentials that clients look for in a good Medical Malpractice Lawyer. Start by trying to find a position with a law firm that specializes in Medical Malpractice. In order to obtain board certification you will be required by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys to keep up continuing education in the field of malpractice and be a member in good standing with the bar association. You will also need at least six character references, three from other lawyers and three from reputable judges. In some states, it also required before practicing law that you pass an interview with your county’s character and fitness committee. Even at this point, it is unlikely that you will be handling your own medical malpractice case for years to come. This is because of the complexity of medical malpractice cases. Insurance companies and physicians are hesitant to deal with a newly licensed attorney due to their lack of experience. But during this time, you will be working closely with experienced medical malpractice attorneys and gaining valuable knowledge and experience. You will learn to take depositions, file paperwork and you might even get to help senior attorneys with their medical malpractice trials. Medical Knowledge RequiredIt not only takes an attorney that’s an expert in medical malpractice to be successful in medical malpractice cases, but it also takes an attorney that’s an expert in medical issues that are involved in these cases. A great deal of preparation is involved in fighting a medical malpractice case even to the point that you know the case better than your client does. Then you have to convince a jury that your side is more believable than the opposing side.
Contingency FeesA Medical Malpractice Lawyer earns his pay on a contingency fee basis. That means that the lawyer will receive as pay a percentage of the settlement award. In most states, a cap on fees is in place and usually averages between 20% and 40%. Or they may use a sliding scale depending on the amount of the settlement. For example, 33% for the first $300,000 ($99,000), then 25% for the next $300,000 ($75,000) and so on. If the case settles out of court, the percentage is usually about 25% and if the case requires an appeal, the fee may be as high as 40%. Some cases take years to settle, but a Medical Malpractice Attorney may be working on several cases at the same time. American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys National Practitioner Data Bank
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