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If you’re a law student, or considering a career in law, you must understand the various specialisms open to you. This will ensure you can gear your training and work experience to the area that most appeals to you, and shorten your journey towards reaching your dream career. One of the most popular – and competitive – legal subjects is medical negligence.
What is this area of law? What are the academic requirements? And how do you progress from study to a fruitful career in this specialization?
If you’re a law student, or considering a career in law, it’s important you understand the various specialisms open to you. This will ensure you can gear your training and work experience to the area that most appeals to you, and shorten your search journeyClick To TweetWhat is medical negligence law?
Medical negligence law is a strand of law that assists people who have been harmed in a medical setting. This is typically due to medical staff not performing their jobs correctly but can extend to the governance of medical facilities, or medical standards.
Medical negligence lawyers aim to get compensation for their clients from the medical organizations responsible for their care. This compensation is typically used to improve the quality of life of the client, who may have been left with life-changing injuries due to medical negligence.
What are the academic requirements?
According to The Lawyer Portal, an LLB degree is crucial for anyone wanting a career in medical negligence law. At university, all available modules in medical law should be studied to gain all the academic knowledge necessary. Additionally, given the nature of medical negligence law, students should have a firm understanding of science – namely biology and chemistry – and maths. A-Levels in these subjects are thus recommended.
Do you need work experience?
To get ahead of other potential applicants for highly competitive medical negligence roles, work experience opportunities in medical negligence are crucial. As well as looking great on your CV, they are also an excellent way to both solidify your knowledge and gain invaluable on-the-job experience that will assist your eventual practice.
It’s also important to note that it is possible to become a medical negligence solicitor without a degree. Apprenticeship programs do exist, however, they won’t give you the broader legal understanding that a degree would. That said, if your heart is set on becoming a medical negligence lawyer, it can be a quicker route to work.
How to succeed as a medical negligence lawyer
Once you have completed your law degree and got some work experience under your belt, it’s time to apply for roles. Here, you need to interview well, so be sure to practice plenty of prospective
From there, the sky is the limit. With a client-focused, understanding approach to dealing with cases, you can both ensure the success of your cases and help out those who need it most.
