From Courtrooms to Clinics: Introduction to Medical Law

Written by Maria Bilat

February 3rd, 2025

 

Welcome back to the Lab2Life articles page! We’re thrilled to have you here as we kick off a brand-new theme for the month. This time, we’ll be diving into the fascinating world of Medical Law and exploring how healthcare, ethics and the legal system can come together in this one-of-a-kind field. From medical malpractice cases to ethical dilemmas in medicine, we’ll be exploring all of these topics in the coming weeks, so make sure you stay tuned! Without further ado, let’s dive in! 

 

What is Medical Law? 

 

Medical Law, often referred to as Health Law, is an interdisciplinary field of law that focuses on the legislative, executive, and judicial rules and regulations that govern the healthcare industry.1 It oversees the rights of patients, the responsibilities of doctors, and the policies that shape our healthcare system. Health lawyers work on various cases and policies, covering topics such as informed consent, confidentiality, difficult ethical choices, medical malpractice as well as the safety of the food and drug supply.2,3 With the emergence of new technologies and the integration of artificial intelligence into healthcare, the need for medical law grows every day as we learn to navigate the legal and ethical complexities of these advancements. 

 

Medical law is an extremely broad field of study with an extensive variety of career options. Whether you are interested in healthcare policy or malpractice litigation, there are plenty of career options to suit each interest. Take a look at some of them below: 

 

1. Medical Malpractice Lawyer 

• Manage cases of improper care by a medical professional like a dentist, doctor or nurse.

 

2. Regulatory Specialist 

• Assess medical facility protocols and make revisions to abide by local, state and federal laws.4

 

3. Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Lawyer

• Handle individual lawsuits and class actions involving defective medical instruments and devices.

 

4. Public Health Lawyer

• Assist businesses, groups of government agencies in deciding the proper course of action5 related to pandemic policies, vaccination laws, and healthcare access.

 

Each one of these paths has different educational requirements. The length of postsecondary education or required qualifications will differ drastically depending on the field of medical law and the specialization of the position. Here is a typical educational background for a Medical Lawyer: 

 

1. Four year undergraduate degree related to the medical field (ex: biology, biotechnology, health sciences, pharmacology) 

 

1. Four year Juris Doctor degree 

 

1. Two year post graduate degree in health law,6 such as the Masters of Law program at the University of Ottawa 

 

Medical law is an exciting and ever-evolving field that plays a crucial role in shaping the future of healthcare. Whether you want to fight for patients or shape public health policies, there are countless opportunities to make a meaningful impact on your community. If you’re passionate about justice and healthcare, this could be the career you’ve been looking for. Over the next couple weeks, we’ll be taking a deeper dive into some potential career options, so make sure to check back next week! 

 

Passionate about Medical Law and want to apply your skills in the courtroom? Don’t miss our Mock Trial event, where you’ll be able to tackle real-world medical law cases with your team to compete for a prize and the vote of the jury. 

 

Until next time!