How to Become a Malpractice Lawyer

By eHow Careers & Work Editor

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The American public ranks malpractice lawyers at the bottom of most polls relating to trust. However, when talking to someone who was the victim of medical malpractice and who lives with painful consequences of that malpractice, you encounter a much different opinion. As long as the tort system remains as it is, there will be a need for both defendant and plaintiff malpractice lawyers. Society benefits if those lawyers are of the highest ethical and professional caliber.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Step1

In college, become as proficient as possible in biology, statistics, and the hardcore science and reasoning that are the basis of malpractice suits.

Step2

Choose a law school that has a reputation for producing effective litigators.

Step3

While in law school, spend as many clerkships in the offices of litigators as possible. When given the opportunity to look at cases, pay attention, not only to the law but to the medical processes as well.

Step4

Network in the community of litigators--both plaintiff and defendant. Also network within the community of medical experts. Develop a feeling for those experts who will offer an honest opinion and those who are merely "hired guns."

Step5

Pass the law boards in your state. Explore employment opportunities with law firms that handle malpractice claims. Decide whether you plan to work as a counsel for defendants or plaintiffs. Rarely do lawyers work both sides of the street.

Step6

Establish your reputation for handling only those cases for which there is merit. Use your background in the sciences and your network of forthright medical consultants to decide which cases meet this criteria.

Step7

Build your own reputation as an ethical practitioner. This will serve you in negotiations as well as help establish your identity as something other than a much maligned "ambulance chaser."

Tips & Warnings

There are many rankings of law schools, but at any given point in time, a particular school may offer the best training in litigation because of a combination of expert faculty and talented students. This may be more easily revealed through interviewing successful litigators than reviewing rankings.