Medical attorneys typically work for private plaintiffs who wish to bring malpractice claims against their doctors, or for hospitals to defend the hospital's doctors against such claims. While medical lawyers do not have to be doctors, some medical qualifications are useful for the attorney to understand the complex nature of healthcare. Additional, medical lawyers must attain the same qualifications all attorneys must possess, which includes law school and bar membership.
Bachelor's Degree
Attorneys must have a bachelor's degree before they are permitted to attend law school. Though no specific degree is necessary, degrees in hard science fields like biology or chemistry can be useful for a medical lawyer. Because malpractice law requires a great deal of negotiation skill, medical lawyers would also benefit from bachelor's degrees in fields such as English and writing. Law in general is a very research-oriented field, so degrees with research requirements are also useful.
Juris Doctor
Attorneys must possess a Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school to be able to sit for a state's bar exam. Law school, unlike undergraduate school, does not require its students to pick a specialty, and most law students graduate as generalists in their field. Medical lawyers may benefit from taking classes geared toward negotiation, mediation and alternative dispute resolution while in law school, as many malpractice claims are settled before going to court. A medical lawyer should also have a background in health law during law school, though this is not necessary.
Graduate Degrees
No additional graduate degrees are necessary to practice medical law, although advanced degrees in areas such as public health or hospital administration will make an attorney more attractive for employment with hospitals. Plaintiffs' attorneys who have also graduated from medical school will be able to advertise this fact to clients, and may have more credibility. Larger firms will typically prefer applicants with more specialized training, and a master's degree in a health-related field will make a new attorney more qualified for the job.
Bar Admission
Before an attorney can practice law, he must be admitted to the bar in the state in which he wants to practice. Each state has its own bar admission procedure, which typically involves a multiday examination on general law topics and a single-day test on legal ethics. An attorney who wishes to practice in a different state must retake the bar examination in that state; however, an attorney who serves as in-house counsel for a hospital may transfer to another state without retaking the exam.
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