Paula F. Henry

OF COUNSEL

Paula HenryPaula F. Henry is a Litigation Attorney, Court Certified Mediator, and Fee Arbitrator. She specializes in medical malpractice defense and healthcare law. She has provided representation for all levels of healthcare providers, healthcare facilities, medical groups, and health maintenance organizations. Ms. Henry has provided legal counsel for legislative matters and administrative hearings.

Ms. Henry has over thirty years of experience in the medical field as a Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner and continues to be actively involved in healthcare issues. In the past, she was the Medical Legal Editor for the Nurse Practitioner Forum, authoring several articles pertaining to legal aspects of the Nurse Practitioners’s practice. Ms. Henry has authored chapters in two textbooks: Nurses and the Law, and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. She is a frequent lecturer on medical/legal issues. Ms. Henry’s medical expertise and experience has been an asset in her ability to provide equality legal representation to her clients.

Ms. Henry’s litigation expertise has resulted in several multi-million dollar exposure cases ending indefense verdicts in trial and in binding arbitration. In 2002, she defended a wrongful death claim involving a birth injury in which the demand exceeded six million dollars. Since opening the Firm, Ms. Henry has achieved several defense verdicts to include a wrongful death jury trial in 2004, and in the first half of 2005, two binding arbitrations, a birth injury case and a wrongful death matter with a demand for sixteen million dollars in damages. In 2006, Ms. Henry successfully defended a Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse in an administrative hearing in which the Board of Registered Nursing sought to revoke the Nurse’s license. Also in 2006 and 2007, Ms. Henry has represented both a health care facility and a physician regarding allegations of elder abuse.

Ms. Henry is a member of the American Association of Nurse Attorneys; the Southern California Association of Healthcare Risk Management; and a past member of the California Association of Nurse Practitioners. She is a certified Mediator by the American Arbitration Association.

Ms. Henry received her diploma in nursing from Quincy City Hospital and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northeastern University. She received her Nurse Practitioner Certificate from Peter Bent Brigham Hospital-Harvard Medical School Program and was Board Certified by the American Nurses Association. Ms. Henry received her Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University School of law.

Prior to establishing HERSHORIN & HENRY, LLP, Ms. Henry was a Partner with the law firm of Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith, LLP.

MEDIATION RESUME

Profession:Attorney/ Mediator/Arbitrator

  • Ms. Henry has over thirty years of experience in the medical field as a Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner and continues to be actively involved in healthcare issues. In the past, she was the Medical Legal Editor for the Nurse Practitioner Forum, authoring several articles pertaining to legal aspects of the Nurse Practitioners’s practice. Ms. Henry has authored chapters in two textbooks: Nurses and the Law, and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. She is a frequent lecturer on medical/legal issues. Ms. Henry’s medical expertise and experience has been an asset in her ability to provide quality legal representation to her clients. She has provided representation for all levels of healthcare providers, healthcare facilities, medical groups, and health maintenance organizations. Ms. Henry has provided legal counsel for legislative matters and administrative hearings. Since 2003, Ms. Henry has been a Court Certified Mediator and Fee Arbitrator.

ADR Experience and Qualifications:

  • Ms. Henry specializes in medical malpractice defense and healthcare law. She has provided representation for all levels of healthcare providers, healthcare facilities, medical groups, and health maintenance organizations. Ms. Henry has provided legal counsel for legislative matters and administrative hearings. This background in medical malpractice defense and healthcare law enables her to take a practical and pragmatic approach in this specialized area.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Training:

  • Attended the prestigious Pepperdine Program – the Strauss Institute –“Mediating the Litigated Case”, and the American Arbitration Association – Court Certification Program.

Professional Licenses:

  • Nursing Diploma (Quincy City Hospital), Bachelor of Science (Northeastern University), Nurse Practitioner Certificate (Peter Bent Brigham Hospital- Harvard Medical School Program) California State Bar, Federal District Court-Central District of California and Federal District Court- Southern District of California.

Professional Associations:

  • American Association of Nurse Attorneys, the Defense Research Institute, the Southern California Association of Healthcare Risk Management, and the California Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Education:

  • Southwestern University School of Law–J.D.

Recent Case Results:

  • Ms. Henry’s litigation expertise has resulted in several multi-million dollar exposure cases ending in defense verdicts in trial and in binding arbitration. In 2002, she defended a wrongful death claim involving a birth injury in which the demand exceeded six million dollars. Since opening the Firm, Ms. Henry has achieved several defense verdicts to include a wrongful death jury trial in 2004, and in the first half of 2005, two binding arbitrations, a birth injury case and a wrongful death matter with a demand for sixteen million dollars in damages. In 2006, Ms. Henry successfully defended a Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse in an administrative hearing in which the Board of Registered Nursing sought to revoke the Nurse’s license. Also in 2006 and 2007, Ms. Henry has represented both a health care facility and a physician regarding allegations of elder abuse.

NOTABLE CASE RESULTS

In 2002, she defended a wrongful death claim involving a birth injury in which the demand exceeded six million dollars. Since opening the Firm, Ms. Henry has achieved several defense verdicts to include a wrongful death jury trial in 2004, and in the first half of 2005, two binding arbitrations, a birth injury case and a wrongful death matter with a demand for sixteen million dollars in damages. In 2006, Ms. Henry successfully defended a Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse in an administrative hearing in which the Board of Registered Nursing sought to revoke the Nurse’s license. Also in 2006 and 2007, Ms. Henry has represented both a health care facility and a physician regarding allegations of elder abuse. In 2008, Ms. Henry obtained a defense award for a hospital in a patient fall claim, settled a premises liability matter and obtained a settlement in a case involving the loss of remains by the ER nursing staff.

PRACTICE AREAS

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