Attorney Events & Relationship Playbook

The Expert Witness Toolkit add-on | thernconsultant.com

Attorneys hire people they know, people they've met, and people someone they trust has named. This playbook is about becoming one of those people. It goes with the Attorney Events List (the Events tab), which is checked and refreshed every 3 months.

1. Pick your rooms

You don't need to go everywhere. Each quarter, pick:

• One national event (for example AAJ, DRI, ABA TIPS or Mass Torts Made Perfect) if your budget allows.
• One state event (your state trial lawyer association, defense association, or bar convention).
• Two local events (county bar luncheons, an Inn of Court guest night, a paralegal association meeting, a legal tech meetup).

Local and state events are where real relationships start. The same faces keep showing up, and after a few meetings they know your name.

Choose a side, or be clear about both. Plaintiff associations (AAJ and state "Association for Justice" groups) and defense groups (DRI and state defense trial attorney associations) are different rooms. Many nurses work both sides. That's fine, as long as you check for conflicts before you take any case.

2. Attendee, exhibitor or sponsor?

Attendee. Lowest cost, most freedom. You can sit in sessions, go to receptions and talk with people one on one. Some trial lawyer and bar events limit registration to members or lawyers, so read the rules and ask the organizer whether a nurse consultant may attend.

Exhibitor (booth or table). Attorneys come to you during breaks. Works best when you have something people want to pick up: a one-page "What a nurse consultant can do for your case" sheet, a sample chronology you made for practice (never a real case), and a simple sign-up for your email list. Staff the table, stand up, and say hello first.

Sponsor. A coffee break, a lunch, a reception or a CLE hour with your name on it. More visibility for more money. Start small: sponsoring a local bar luncheon often costs far less than a national booth and puts you in front of the same lawyers every month. Ask for the attendee list or a few minutes at the microphone as part of the package, if the organizer allows it.

At any event:

• Set a goal: five real conversations, not fifty business cards.
• Ask questions first. "What kinds of cases are you working on this year?" "Where do medical records slow you down?"
• Write a note on the back of every card right away (what they practice, what you talked about, one personal detail).
• Go to the receptions. That's where people relax.
• Follow up within 48 hours (see section 6).

3. Speak, and help attorneys earn CLE credit

Lawyers in most states must complete continuing legal education (CLE) hours every year or reporting period. A useful, practical medical talk that counts toward those hours is a gift to them, and it shows them exactly how you think.

How CLE approval works, in general:

• Each state has its own CLE agency (often a commission or the state bar). It approves courses, not speakers.
• Courses are usually approved through a sponsor: a bar association, trial lawyer association, law firm or CLE company that applies for credit. When you speak at a county bar or association event, the organizer usually handles approval.
• If you organize a talk yourself, you or the hosting firm can usually apply for credit directly. Example: South Carolina's CLE Commission FAQ says a course sponsor that is not on its accredited sponsor list pays a $75 application fee per course, and online or on-demand courses must be approved before they are presented (https://www.commcle.org/faqs.html, checked November 2026). Check your own state's rules.
• Applications usually ask for a written agenda, learning objectives, timed outline, speaker bios and materials. Give yourself several weeks before the date.
• Having an attorney co-present helps. The attorney covers the legal side; you cover the clinical side. That pairing also keeps you from giving legal advice.

Talk ideas that attorneys want:

• How to read an ICU (or ED, or nursing home) chart in 30 minutes
• Nursing standard of care basics: what the chart should show and often doesn't
• Pressure injuries, falls and documentation: what the records really say
• Medication errors: following the trail through the MAR and pharmacy records
• Electronic health record audit trails: what they are and how to request them
• What a legal nurse consultant can do for your case (keep this one educational, not a sales pitch)

Where to pitch:

• County and city bar associations. Many have a CLE committee or a "become a speaker" form. Example: Charleston County Bar Association has one at https://www.charlestoncountybar.org/cle/become-a-speaker/
• State trial lawyer and defense associations. They run seminars all year, not just the big convention.
• Inns of Court. Some welcome guest presenters on topics that help their members.
• Paralegal associations. Paralegals need CLE too, and they decide who gets the record review call.
• Law firms directly (see lunch-and-learns below).

Lunch-and-learns. Offer a 30 to 45 minute talk at a firm's office, with lunch provided by you. Bring a one-page handout and your contact info. Ask the firm whether they want to seek CLE credit; if they do, plan early. Even without credit, a lunch-and-learn is one of the warmest introductions you can make.

4. Meet for lunch (or coffee)

After an email reply, an event or a talk, invite one attorney or paralegal at a time:

• "Would you like to grab lunch near your office next week? I'd love to hear what kinds of cases you're seeing."
• Go to them. Keep it to an hour. Pick a quiet place.
• Ask more than you tell: their practice, their pain points with records and experts, how they like to work with consultants.
• Bring nothing to sign. Offer one thing: "If you ever want a quick look at a chart before you take a case, call me."
• Send a thank-you email the same day.

Check any gift or meal rules that apply to the attorney's firm or public office, and keep it modest.

5. Build the relationship over time

• Be useful between cases. Send a relevant article, a new guideline, or a reminder about an upcoming CLE. One line: "Saw this and thought of your nursing home cases."
• Remember the person. Their kid's graduation, their trial date, their new partner. Your notes make this easy.
• Deliver on the first case. Clear work, on time, no surprises. That is your best marketing.
• Ask for feedback, then ask whether they know a colleague who might need help.

6. Follow up after events

Within 48 hours:

1. Connect on LinkedIn with a short note that mentions where you met.
2. Send the "Great meeting you" email (Template 5 in Attorney Email Outreach 101).
3. Add them to your tracking sheet with the event, date and what you talked about.
4. Set a reminder to reach out again in about 4 to 6 weeks with something useful.

7. Post online for social proof and to stay top of mind

Attorneys check you out before they call. When they look, they should see a nurse who knows her field and shows up consistently.

LinkedIn cadence (a simple, doable plan):

• Post 2 to 3 times a week. Consistency matters more than volume.
• Comment on attorneys' posts most days. Thoughtful comments put your name in front of their whole network.
• Make your profile do the work. A headline that says legal nurse consultant or nurse expert witness plus your specialty, an About section that says who you help, and a link to your CV or site.

Post ideas:

• Case lessons without PHI. "A common gap I see in ICU charts: the time between a change in condition and the provider being notified. Here's what good documentation looks like." Teach the clinical lesson. Never describe a real patient, case, firm or outcome.
• Behind the scenes of your work: how you organize a chronology, how you prepare for a deposition (no case details).
• Short explainers of clinical terms attorneys run into.
• Events you're attending or speaking at, with a photo (ask before you post anyone's face).
• Congratulations to attorneys and organizations you work with (only if they're comfortable being named, and never naming a client matter).

Never post: patient details, case details, confidential work product, or anything an opposing attorney could use against you as an expert. Assume every post could be printed and shown at a deposition someday.

8. Referral partners

Some of your best work will come from people who aren't attorneys:

• Paralegals and legal assistants. They request records, chase experts and tell the attorney who to call. Treat them like the decision makers they often are.
• Other experts. Physicians, life care planners, economists and other nurses get asked "do you know a nurse who…" all the time. Trade referrals in specialties that don't compete with yours.
• Court reporters, record retrieval companies and mediators. They work with many firms and hear who needs help.
• Other legal nurse consultants. When you're full or a case is outside your specialty, refer it out. Generosity comes back.

Always thank referrals (Template 7), and never share case details when you do.

9. Anything else that works

• A one-page "How I help" sheet. Services, specialties, turnaround, how to reach you. Bring it everywhere.
• Your own small email newsletter. Monthly, short, one useful clinical tip for attorneys. Include an easy opt-out.
• Write for the bar. Many state and local bar associations publish magazines or newsletters and accept articles.
• Volunteer. Join a bar association committee open to non-lawyers, help at an association event, or judge a student trial competition if invited.
• Be easy to find. Keep your website, LinkedIn and any professional directory listings current, with the same photo and headline everywhere.
• Keep your clinical practice active if you want to testify. Many states expect testifying experts to be actively practicing in the specialty they speak to.

Educational information only, not legal advice. CLE, ethics and email rules vary by state and change over time. Always confirm with the organizer or the agency. Never share protected health information or confidential case information.