On rare occasion, a new attorney may ask a nurse consultant to meet directly with a patient in case evaluation, and to accept payment for their service directly from the patient. This practice is not recommended for the independent nurse contractor.

1. An assessment for merit is a clinically objective appraisal.
2. My relationship as an independent contractor is with the attorney, not the patient.
3. Even when a case has been accepted, the ensuing chronology should not contain any personal observations that may influence future experts.

If there is a question of merit and an attorney decides not to take the case, it can be beneficial for a legal nurse to write a short and clear layman’s explanation of the medical injury/condition. This may assist the patient in understanding why an attorney has chosen not to represent them.