LNCtips.com:  Mediation/Trial PowerPoints

Attorneys used to lug big display boards with them to mediations and trials to present the key points of their cases. Nowadays, many attorneys present their cases on laptops using PowerPoint software. Legal nurse consultants can assist attorneys by creating those PowerPoint presentations.

If you don't know how to work with PowerPoint software, don't worry. If you can type and click a mouse, you can make a professional-looking PowerPoint presentation. Sources like Youtube have some excellent videos for PowerPoint beginners.

Before you start your PowerPoint presentation, identify the case issues with the attorney. If the attorney wants to use a specific presentation outline, by all means utilize it. If not, you can use or modify the following outline for plaintiff and defense PowerPoints.

For both plaintiff and defense cases, include the name of the case and the reason for the presentation on the first slide.

Next Slides - Plaintiff

If you're making a PowerPoint for the plaintiff, create your next slides so that they show the plaintiff or the plaintiff's heath prior to the alleged medical malpractice. These slides will typically include photos and/or videos of a smiling person, surrounded by family members, in pleasant surroundings, enjoying activities or hobbies. If possible, you want to depict the plaintiff as a vital, healthy person before the malpractice occurred. On the next slide(s), show the effects of the medical malpractice on the plaintiff. Include photos of the patient and family if the photos demonstrate the damages to the patient.

Next Slides Defense

When making a PowerPoint for the defense, your presentation will take a less emotional approach than one for plaintiffs. Include a slide with facts about the defendant such as other business names and dates of care provided.  In additional slide(s), include facts about the plaintiff such as age and pertinent medical history. Expand on the patient's past medical history if it had an impact on the patients current problem.

Final Slides Plaintiff and Defense

For both plaintiff and defense, the next slides should describe what happened.  You can use the allegations in the case as a guide. Identify each allegation and summarize the plaintiff or defense theory after each allegation. Below is an example of a defense response to an allegation in a decubitus ulcer case.

For the last one or two slides, state conclusions related to the plaintiff or defense theories. The slides below are from the same decubitus ulcer case for the defense.

If you're new to legal nurse consulting and have never used PowerPoint, create a practice presentation. This will lessen your learning curve when an attorney hires you to create a presentation. You can even add the practice presentation to your portfolio. You're now ready to create PowerPoint presentations for attorneys!

...Katy Jones