Brown Law Office, P.C.

Our Firm

Brown Law Office, P.C. was established in 1999 by Lorie Brown, RN, MN, JD. What makes our law firm different? We’ve worked in healthcare! As nurse-attorneys we have insider experience – we know the ins-and-outs of the healthcare industry and the legal challenges you face.

Meet Our Team

Founder, Lorie Brown, R.N., M.N., J.D.

Right from the beginning, there were many aspects of nursing that I loved. I even went on to obtain a master’s degree in nursing and practiced in a variety of nursing fields, including medical surgical nursing, management and administration. However, I found I was frustrated by the limitations. I felt I couldn’t give the care I wanted to because my hands were tied by antiquated rules, nursing culture, and even unit status quo—all things I didn’t anticipate as an eager nursing student.

So I made a career shift and decided to go to law school. I studied law at Indiana University, earning my J.D. in 1990. For the last 23 years I’ve been working as an attorney. It turns out that I still get to help people, only in a way different from what I expected.

There’s a saying, “Once a nurse, always a nurse,” and I find it apt. I naturally fell into representing nurses and other health professionals in need, usually with malpractice matters and license defense. It isn’t hard for me to empathize and imagine what these nurses were going through while their ability to practice nursing was in question. I’m licensed to practice in Indiana and Illinois, however by partnering with other nurse attorneys and attorneys I help nurses nationwide get the legal support they desperately need.

In 2012, I founded Empowered Nurses (ENO), an organization designed to help nurses protect their licenses, so they can do their jobs with confidence, focus on serving their patients, and regain the joy in the profession they love. ENO provides resources, tips and strategies on protecting your nursing license and tools for empowerment. http://www.empowerednurses.org. I’ve also written a book on these issues, Law And Order For Nurses: The Easy Way to Protect your License and Your Livelihood. http://www.lawandorderfornurses.com

In my law practice, I perform the same process I was trained to do in nursing—assess, plan, intervene, and evaluate. I can’t judge anything about new clients or their case until I analyze the situation. Would you like my honest assessment of your legal situation? Contact me today to get started.

Office Manager, Amanda Muncie

How We Will Help You if Your Healthcare License Appears at Risk
Are you worried someone might file a complaint?
Have you received a letter from the Licensing Board or the Attorney General’s office?
Have you been called for a personal appearance before the Licensing Board?
How We Help You Renew Your Healthcare License
Are you struggling to interpret and truthfully answer questions on your license renewal application?

Whether you are a nurse, physician, dentist, pharmacist, podiatrist, dental hygienist or other healthcare provider and want to protect your license, you need to be proactive. The earlier you start working with an attorney experienced in license protection, the better. This will ensure that you create the best legal scenario so you can protect your license and your future career in healthcare.
Issues related to protecting your license can vary. Our job is to take you by the hand and help you through this stressful time as we look for the best possible outcome to your particular situation. Below you’ll see various scenarios that we can help you with – when your license appears at risk, when you’re worried about renewing your license and when you need professional legal representation at a Licensing Board hearing.
As healthcare providers, we know that for many in healthcare our life is our profession. We really care about our patients and want to do the best job for them. Getting disciplined, or even losing a job is a blow to us both personally and professionally. Even though you might be reeling from the experience, you need to focus on how to make a graceful exit. How you exit this job will impact the future of your career.

Nursing Portfolio: Begin to gather and organize all relevant documents pertaining to your education, employment, certifications, and skills. Ideally, you started your portfolio before your graduation and will continue to add to it throughout your entire nursing career. It’s never too late to create a nursing portfolio; it’s evidence that you have followed all standards and have continued to obtain training over the years.

State Board of Nursing: Become familiar with your state’s Board of Nursing (BON) website. You are responsible for knowing and understanding the BON requirements, so it’s wise to check the website every six months—put it on your calendar. The BON website will tell you: Healthcare providers legal concerns
Each year 7,000 nurses have some type of discipline placed on their license. My home State of Indiana has the highest number of nurses on probation. Other top contenders for that dubious title are Texas and Ohio. If you would like to see the discipline imposed in your State, check out the National Council of State Board of Nursing website (www.ncsbn.org) which captures all of the statistics on nurse license discipline.

If your license is placed on probation, the Board wants to watch you to ensure that you are safe to practice. There are some requirements such as keeping the Board apprised of your current address and phone number as well as reports from your supervisors. There may be other requirements such as having your employer sign the final order or having you take continuing education courses. There may even be fines. Some Boards restrict the type of environment in which you can practice or the shifts in which you can practice.

Some Board decisions may direct you to participate in counseling or in your State’s peer assistance program which helps those with addiction problems or who use controlled substances.
Remember, if any action is taken against your license, it will be a public record forever, even if the matter should eventually be dismissed.