Samantha A. Levinson

Samantha’s background in nursing allows her to bring a unique perspective to her law practice, particularly in the areas of health law and professional negligence (including medical/nursing and dental malpractice). At Litchfield Cavo LLP, Sam concentrates her practice on insurance defense including Workers’ Compensation, environmental law, products liability, personal injury, professional negligence and health law. In addition, Sam served as a Traffic Court Prosecutor for the City of Chicago, Law Division, Municipal Prosecutions before joining the private sector.

As a nurse, Sam worked in both in-patient and out-patient settings. Her practice areas included acute in-patient oncology (medical and GYN), high-risk antepartum, and difficult/problem postpartum; she also worked as an office nurse for both a busy cardiology practice and an OB/GYN/infertility and private practice where she conducted telephone triage and assisted physicians during minor surgery and office procedures, patient care and education. Sam has lectured to familiarize Advanced Practice Nurses with the evolving laws in Illinois and how they relate to their personal practice, including issues of liability. Additionally, Sam is a Board Member of the Chicago Area Nurse Attorney Association (CANAA) and keeps current on legal developments of import to nurses and other health care providers in all practice areas. She has a strong interest in biomedical ethics and related issues.

Sam has also earned qualifications in firefighting and emergency medical training at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy in Virginia. She achieved Certificates in NFPA Firefighter I, II & III as well as in OSHA HAZMAT (Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations) and EMT between 1991 and 1992.

Education

• The John Marshall Law School, JD, 2001
• Georgetown University, BSN (Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing), 1996; theology minor

Admissions

• Illinois
• United States District Court: Northern District of Illinois
• United States Supreme Court

Presentations

• “Anatomy of a Malpractice Lawsuit Involving the Advanced Practice Nurse,” Chicago, IL, 11/3/05. Speaker at The American Association of Nurse Attorneys (TAANA) 24th Annual Meeting & Educational Conference APN Pre-Conference. Presentation designed to introduce APNs to an overview of the legal process that occurs once a malpractice lawsuit is filed. Objectives included explicating the meaning of some of the legal jargon used in malpractice lawsuits; describing the typical legal steps/procedures involved in a lawsuit; comparing and contrasting the roles of the attorneys representing various parties; discussion of the purpose of the different discovery procedures and providing a condensed version of what could happen from the moment of “negligence” to the time of verdict.
• “Documentation Issues and Charting for the Future in Illinois,” Itasca, IL, 3/28/03. Conducted full day seminar designed for nurses, directors of nursing, administrators, medical records directors, and other allied healthcare professionals to familiarize participants with legal issues surrounding healthcare with an emphasis on documentation. Also introduced participants to the litigation process, procedure and various proceedings.
• “Legal Issues For APNs”, Springfield, IL, 9/21/02. Speaker at ISAPN 2002 Symposium: Celebrating Unity and Diversity. Conducted two 90-minute sessions to familiarize Advanced Practice Nurses with the evolving laws in Illinois and how they relate to their personal practice, including issues of liability.

Professional Activities

• Chicago Bar Association
• Women’s Bar Association of Illinois
• Chicago Area Nurse Attorney’s Association (CANAA); current Board Member, previously served as Treasurer