Meet Teressa Crawford, one of the experienced legal nurse consultants at Med Law. Teressa has practiced as a registered nurse for almost 30 years. In her nearly 25 years of long-term care experience, she has served as director of nursing services and liability risk manager. Teressa is a valued member of our team, get to know her in this spotlight:

Name, title, city you are based in:

Hot Springs, Arkansas

What is your role at Med Law Advisory Partners?

Nurse Consultant

What did you do before working for Med Law Advisory Partners?

 Immediately prior, I was doing travel nursing as a DON in long term care mostly on the east coast; prior to that I served as DON of long term care facilities are the correct answers

Why do you do this type of work?

I enjoy the challenges it presents, especially the challenge of pulling everything together into a report that others who aren’t in the medical field can understand and use it in the litigation process.

Do you have a specific area of expertise that you are the most fond of?

Long term care and hospice

In your opinion, what is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The most rewarding aspect of my job working as a nurse consultant is the “finding the needle in the haystack” moment. I feel like a CSI investigator going through the records, searching for all of the puzzle pieces to support or refute allegations.

Tell us about a time you had to overcome a challenge or obstacle within being a legal nurse consultant – how did you overcome this/what did you learn?

Finally understanding “the process” of the review, how to compartmentalize the different areas of the review while keeping the whole thing intact within the puzzle frame. Then after finding and adding all of the puzzle pieces, we have the whole picture within the frame and can present the complete picture to the client. I overcame this by doing like Dori from “Nemo” said, I just kept swimming. From that, I learned to try and try again because there is strength through the struggle and success will eventually come.

What is something in the healthcare industry that comes to mind that you would like to see improved or changed?

Always better/consistent care in long-term care facilities. There are some great facilities out there but sadly we only ever hear of the ones that aren’t.

What are you most likely up to when you are off-the-clock?

Family. Fishing or hunting.

What is some advice you would give to nurses looking to pursue a career in legal nurse consulting?

Take what you know, listen to the advice of those who have “been there and done that” and use it to build on then add your own polish to it.

Interesting fact about yourself:

I’m a “PK” and for those who don’t know what that is, I’m a preacher’s kid. I wouldn’t trade that heritage for anything. So much good was not only taught but lived in front of me. My hope in life is that I will somehow pass those treasures to my children and grandchildren.

Name, title, city you are based in

Lisa Hughes RN, LNCC

Mangham, Louisiana

What is your role at Med Law Advisory Partners? 

Legal nurse consultant

What did you do before working for Med Law Advisory Partners? 

I have a 30+ year nursing career that includes medical-surgical and orthopedic nursing, long-term care director of nursing, home health care, risk management, and clinical reviewer for a supplemental medical review contractor.

Why do you do this type of work? Do you have a specific area of expertise that you are the most fond of?

I sincerely enjoy my work as an LNC. Long-term care cases are my favorite type of review because I have spent the majority of my nursing career in this area. I enjoy researching topics and regulations appropriate to each case.

In your opinion, what is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

To me, the most rewarding aspect of my job as an LNC is finding the crucial piece of the puzzle in the medical records for our clients that makes the difference in a positive outcome.

Tell us about a time you had to overcome a challenge or obstacle within being a legal nurse consultant – how did you overcome this/what did you learn?

The area of legal nurse consulting is always challenging, which makes it so interesting. Through my years working as an LNC I have learned to pay close attention to details. Those details have often made a huge difference in the outcome of many cases I have reviewed. 

What is something in the healthcare industry that comes to mind that you would like to see improved or changed? 

I would like to see more stringent monitoring of healthcare providers who abuse our current system and in turn the patients who have placed their confidence in those providers. The elderly population is where my heart is and I think that our healthcare system is often difficult for them to maneuver through. 

What are you most likely up to when you are off-the-clock? 

I’m very rarely off the clock, when I am, I like to spend time with my family and friends. I also love to travel and have a rather lengthy bucket list of places that I would like to visit.

What is some advice you would give to nurses looking to pursue a career in legal nurse consulting? 

Find a mentor. I had the BEST mentor when I began my career in legal nurse consulting who taught me so much about this area of nursing. I will forever be grateful to her for all she taught me.

Interesting fact about yourself:

When we can, my husband and I spend time at the beach and love deep-sea fishing. I also enjoy antique shopping and searching for treasures.

Name, title, city you are based in:

Katherine Moran, JD RN LNCC, Chicago IL

What is your role at Med Law Advisory Partners?

Legal Nurse Consultant

What did you do before working for Med Law Advisory Partners?

I am a consultant so I have worked with various firms in the past.

Why do you do this type of work? Do you have a specific area of expertise that you are the most fond of?

I am most fond of pediatric med mal. I used to be a peds inpatient nurse. I like to think that our work helps to identify gaps in care and promote safety changes in the healthcare setting.

In your opinion, what is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Hopefully our work funnels its way through to risk management and affects positive outcomes at the bedside.

Tell us about a time you had to overcome a challenge or obstacle within being a legal nurse consultant – how did you overcome this/what did you learn?

When I was first starting out and had no experience, I found a nurse that was willing to give me a chance. I had no formal training at all and had just left bedside nursing. It was a challenging time learning the industry and getting comfortable communicating with clients. But it’s been very rewarding.

What is something in the healthcare industry that comes to mind that you would like to see improved or changed?

Better preventative care.

What are you most likely up to when you are off-the-clock?

Chasing my boys, cooking, needlepoint, exercising, and planning our next family vacation.

What is some advice you would give to nurses looking to pursue a career in legal nurse consulting?

Don’t give up! You will likely get a few No’s before someone will give you a chance.

Interesting fact about yourself:

My parents and 3 sisters are also lawyers.

Name, title, city you are based in:

Maggie Williamson, RN, BSN, LNCC based in Winnetka, IL.

What is your role at Med Law Advisory Partners?

Legal Nurse Consultant

What did you do before working for Med Law Advisory Partners?

I worked in bedside nursing prior to beginning my career at Med Law Advisory Partners. I have worked in a multitude of healthcare settings with the primary setting being Labor & Delivery.

Why do you do this type of work? Do you have a specific area of expertise that you are the most fond of?

After my years in nursing, I pivoted to Legal Nurse Consulting to use my nursing skills in a different setting. It was refreshing to see my nursing experience serve a new purpose. Given the majority of my nursing experience was in Women’s Health/Labor & Delivery I enjoy participating in birth injury cases.

In your opinion, what is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Being able to help clients understand the nursing process and how it affects the potential medical malpractice for both defense and plaintiff cases.

Tell us about a time you had to overcome a challenge or obstacle within being a legal nurse consultant – how did you overcome this/what did you learn?

The field of Legal Nurse Consulting always leaves the potential for disagreement on liability. It is essential to continue learning how to understand different viewpoints on the liability of different facilities and providers. Every healthcare provider brings different opinions and experiences to the table when looking at the potential viability of a case.

What is something in the healthcare industry that comes to mind that you would like to see improved or changed?

I hope that the role of the bedside nurse becomes more respected and compensated. The bedside nurse is an integral part of the entire healthcare process, and I hope society begins to appreciate their contribution to the healthcare community.

What are you most likely up to when you are off-the-clock?

Being with my husband and 3 kids who are 9, 7, and 5 years old!

What is some advice you would give to nurses looking to pursue a career in legal nurse consulting?

I would tell them to try to connect with fellow nurses who are already in the business to get an idea of the process and what skills you need to hone to become successful.

Interesting fact about yourself:

Before my nursing career I worked in PR in Los Angeles.

Name, title, city you are based in:

Lisa Dalesandro, RN, BSN, CCRN, CEN, LNCC
Northern New Jersey/NYC metropolitan area

What is your role at Med Law Advisory Partners?

Peer Review Specialist

What did you do before working for Med Law Advisory Partners?

I have worked in diverse areas of nursing over the last 27 years, including pediatric home care and med/surg nursing, but am currently a critical care nurse in the MICU at a teaching hospital in Newark, NJ, in addition to working as a consultant with MLAP.

Why do you do this type of work? Do you have a specific area of expertise that you are the most fond of?

I enjoy evidence-based research and writing, which are both very important in legal nurse consulting. I am also very fond of mentorship and teaching new nurses.

In your opinion, what is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The most rewarding aspect of my job is collaborating with a top-notch group of nurses dedicated to producing a superior finished product, whether it is a medical records timeline, a case report, or just helping a non-medical person to understand a complicated concept. Working together supportively is what makes this job special.

Tell us about a time you had to overcome a challenge or obstacle within being a legal nurse consultant – how did you overcome this/what did you learn?

I have been collaborating with lawyers, both as a paralegal and legal nurse consultant, for as long as I have been a nurse. Having worked in a law firm during high school and college, nursing and law have been intricately woven into my professional life. My biggest challenge as a legal nurse consultant has been establishing myself as more than assistive personnel and a vital piece of a winning legal team to those who may not have been familiar with legal nurse consulting as a profession.

What is something in the healthcare industry that comes to mind that you would like to see improved or changed?

A deeper respect for nurses in the healthcare industry, translated into normalization of safe and appropriate staffing, competitive pay rates, and supportive professional standards which also encompass a general advancement of equitable workplace and improved healthcare standards for everyone, would be a welcome change.

What are you most likely up to when you are off-the-clock?

During downtime, you will most likely find me with my family, friends and three dogs, enjoying all of the great activities in the greater New York City area. In the summer, you will find me down the shore, appreciating all of New Jersey’s beautiful beaches.

What is some advice you would give to nurses looking to pursue a career in legal nurse consulting?

Spend time reading and writing. Your nursing skills are important, but the ability to communicate effectively is what will set you apart.

Interesting fact about yourself:

I can balance a spoon on my nose and ears for a really long time.

Name, title, city you are based in:

I’ve lived in The Villages, Florida (9 years) and before that Ohio.

What is your role at Med Law Advisory Partners?

I’ve worked with Med Law as a Legal Nurse Consultant for approximately 2 years.

What did you do before working for Med Law Advisory Partners?

I have been a nurse for 35 years with most of that time spent in the long term care setting. I was a director of nursing for 10 years and still work clinically as needed.

Why do you do this type of work? Do you have a specific area of expertise that you are the most fond of?

I first became interested in legal nurse consulting when I was asked by our corporate legal department to do chart reviews on some of my resident charts.  I found that process very interesting because you were looking at a record from an “aerial” view and were able to see the facility’s strengths and weaknesses in their documentation. This allowed me to provide education to the nurses and help them understand the importance of their charting (or lack of charting) in a potential lawsuit. This eventually led me to pursue LNC work and a new career path.  My area of expertise is long term care because of my years of working in the field.

In your opinion, what is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

There are many aspects of my job as an LNC that are rewarding and that I cherish.  First has to be the ability to have more control of my time and schedule. I enjoy working from home, but still enjoy my time working PRN in the clinical setting with patients. I also find great satisfaction in reading through my final work product and having the feeling that I have created a document that will assist my client with understanding what really happened to the patient.

Tell us about a time you had to overcome a challenge or obstacle within being a legal nurse consultant – how did you overcome this/what did you learn?

By far the biggest hurdle I have had transitioning from clinical nursing to consulting has been the writing aspect of the LNC role.  I’ve had great mentors in the past few years while pursuing the LNC career path and they’ve all helped me sharpen my writing and grammar skills. As nurses, we become accustomed to writing in a “charting style” format which is not what would be expected in a report you would produce for a client.  There are many programs to assist with enhancing grammar and spelling which have been very helpful with editing my own work. I want my work product to be exceptional when it is delivered to the client.

What is something in the healthcare industry that comes to mind that you would like to see improved or changed?

Due to my many years in the nursing home setting, I feel that overall our elderly receive great care from dedicated caregivers. The challenges caregivers face with mandated documentation (paperwork) and voluminous regulations takes away from the time they have at the bedside to care for this vulnerable population. Current staffing shortages have been very difficult for the LTC industry.

What are you most likely up to when you are off-the-clock?

We live in sunny Florida so if I am not working, I am frequently outside enjoying an activity. I also enjoy being an LNC because it gives me the opportunity to travel more and to visit my family out of state as often as I can.

What is some advice you would give to nurses looking to pursue a career in legal nurse consulting?

LNC work can be very challenging and it does take time to switch gears from a clinical setting to a “desk job.”  There are many resources out there and I would suggest reading everything you can find. Most importantly, I would suggest reaching out to a seasoned LNC for guidance. Also, looking into joining the national AALNC and/or finding a local chapter…they are great resources.  I give all the credit to my success to the local chapter I joined.

Interesting fact about yourself:

Love taking long car rides and seeing our beautiful country!

At Med Law Advisory Partners, our medical-legal team is composed of highly experienced medical consultants and dedicated support staff from a variety of backgrounds. Each team member brings years of consulting expertise along with vast clinical experience in the areas of acute/critical care, long-term care, health systems management and more.

Introducing LeAnne Smith. Since joining Med Law Advisory Partners 14 years ago, she has provided specialized medical-legal services related to medical malpractice, long-term care, personal injury, insurance underwriting and opioid investigations. LeAnne was also recently promoted to manager of Clinical Operations.

What is your role at Med Law Advisory Partners?

In my role as Manager of Clinical Operations, I oversee all clinical and administrative operations of the company. Working alongside the CEO, I ensure smooth client onboarding and ongoing customer relations.

What did you do before working for Med Law Advisory Partners?

My clinical expertise is in intensive care, dialysis and home health care nursing.

Why do you do this type of work? Do you have a specific area of expertise that you are the most fond of?

I first started legal nurse consulting because it was an opportunity for me to work from home while my children were small.  I really didn’t know much about this line of work and began my career in this field by doing research.  I then branched out into medical records reviews. Once I got into it, I fell in love with the investigation and analysis of medical care. I wanted to learn everything I could about the subject.  I discovered I had an affinity for this type of work because I was very detail-oriented.  I learned everything I could about all different types of consulting.  In the end, I think my biggest passion is long-term care litigation.

In your opinion, what is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The most rewarding aspect of my job is twofold. On a personal level, it gives me the opportunity to work from home and to have more time to devote to my family. On a professional level, I take great pride in my ability to break down a medical record and show clear evidence of care or lack thereof, to assist the legal team in finding the truth of a matter. Overall, it is rewarding to feel like I made a difference in a particular case, but also that my work might make a difference on a larger scale, by impacting future decisions regarding the delivery of healthcare.

Tell us about a time you had to overcome a challenge or obstacle as a legal nurse consultant – how did you overcome this/what did you learn?

I feel like the biggest challenge I have had to overcome was simply having to learn how to locate expert witnesses.  I was able to turn to one of my peers at Med Law for help and overcome the learning curve.  I know that legal nurse consulting supports so many different aspects of medical-legal work and no one can be an expert in all areas.  I learned it’s okay to look to others for help when you need it.

What is something in the healthcare industry that comes to mind that you would like to see improved or changed?

I feel like one of the biggest areas of improvement needed is in the delivery of quality healthcare to our elderly population.

What are you most likely up to when you are off-the-clock?

Spending time with my family outdoors.  We enjoy boating and riding UTVs.

What is some advice you would give to nurses looking to pursue a career in legal nurse consulting?

If you are considering a future in legal nurse consulting, I would recommend you have a candid conversation with an LNCC who has experience in the field.  Take the time to really understand what this job entails and the kind of personal characteristics it takes to do the job effectively because this job is not for everyone.

Interesting fact about yourself:

I enjoy cattle farming, and I love football!