NEWSHow Lorie Brown Became an Attorney Defending Professional Licenses
Nov. 7 2024, Published 1:35 a.m. ET
Lorie Brown is a nurse attorney based in Indianapolis, Indiana dedicated to representing nurses before the licensing board. At her firm,Brown Law Office, P.C., Lorie has become a “nurse for nurses”. As a lawyer, Lorie is uniquely positioned to address the concerns of nurses, since she has had experience in the field herself.
Lorie’s Beginnings
Ever since she was a child, Lorie knew she wanted to be a nurse. Helping and healing were her passions, and this drove her to enroll at Indiana University. In 1982, Lorie graduated and finally became a member of the noble profession. “I felt I could finally truly live my life’s purpose,” Lorie said. “I could help people heal by giving the best care my training could provide.”
From the start of her career, Lorie was passionate and dedicated. Nursing was something that she loved, and she even went on to obtain a master’s degree in nursing. She practiced in medical-surgical nursing, management, administration, and many other fields. With each position, however, Lorie was frustrated by 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.”
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Inspiration to Practice Law
When Lorie went through a difficult divorce, she had a great attorney to help her and knew that she wanted to do the same for others. She returned to Indiana University to study law, earning her Juris Doctor (JD) in 1990 and shifting her career to become an attorney. Lorie still remembers this as the best decision she ever made. She would go on to represent nurses before the licensing board, which she understood better than many other attorneys.
Overcoming Obstacles
Lorie founded her law firm but was met with the harsh reality that legal education doesn’t teach you the necessary skills to grow a business. Though the legal community and her potential clients didn’t understand how someone could be both a nurse and an attorney at first, they came to recognize the valuable expertise Lorie could bring to legal matters concerning medical issues and problems with health care providers.
Achievements Beyond Her Practice
Lorie remembers the saying among medical professionals: “Once a nurse, always a nurse.” As such, she foundedEmpowered Nurses (ENO) in 2012, an organization offering resources for empowerment. These issues also inspired Lorie to write a book,Law And Order For Nurses: The Easy Way to Protect Your License and Your Livelihood.
Excellence in Her Field
Bringing an in-depth knowledge of the medical world alongside her legal expertise, Lorie puts the care back into law. She never judges clients and takes time to understand their situation, using the same process she used when she was a nurse: assess, plan, intervene, and evaluate.
