Overview

Laura's practice covers all phases of health care liability claims, including discovery and pretrial matters, motion practice, settlement negotiations and trial. She also has experience representing health care institutions, physicians, nurses and other health care providers in disciplinary actions before their respective licensing boards. Laura is also a lecturer for health care clients and has defended various types of personal injury and insurance matters, including toxic torts, products liability, work place injuries, and issues relating to managed care.

Experience

  • Defense verdict in bad faith lawsuit filed in Federal Court
  • Representation of Texas physicians in disciplinary actions initiated by Texas Medical Board including allegations of substandard quality of care, improper prescribing of medications to family members, failure to supervise physician assistants, improper termination of physician/patient relationship, improper billing practices and failure to communicate with patient
  • Representation of health care provider in qui tam litigation involving allegations of Medicare billing fraud
  • Representation of health care providers providing home health care and hospice care
  • Defense verdicts in several jury trials for surgeons, including case involving allegations of failure to properly repair a tear in the spinal canal occurring during surgery to repair herniated disk, resulting in loss of cerebrospinal fluid and neurologic injuries; case involving accusations of improper use of pedicle screws and hardware in a lumbar fusion operation and failure to recognize subsequent failure of pedicle screws, resulting in disability and the need for extensive anterior/posterior multi-level fusion operation; case involving allegations of injured and loss of kidney following pedicle screw implantation; case involving allegations of negligent perforation of the small intestine of a 55-year-old female patient during surgery to correct incontinence, resulting in massive abdominal infection, eight subsequent surgeries and lengthy period of hospitalization; and case involving allegations of death following lower back surgery
  • Defense verdict in jury trial for medical group which employed social worker accused of having sexual relationship with former patient in violation of Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Chapter 81
  • Representation of major commercial mortgage lender in series of lawsuits arising out of lender's foreclosure on loan to owners of nursing home and claim that lender was directly and derivatively liable for injuries and/or deaths of residents of nursing home

Affiliations

Professional

  • Chair of the Texas Pattern Jury Charges – Malpractice, Premises & Products Committee (Present)
  • Member of the Texas Pattern Jury Charges – Malpractice, Premises & Products Committee (2017 to Present)
  • University of Houston Law Alumni Board
    • Director and Secretary (2011-Current)
  • International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Houston Bar Association
  • Greater Houston Society of Healthcare Risk Management
    • Past President (2010)
    • President (2009)
    • President-Elect (2008)
    • Past Vice President (2007)
    • Past Secretary (2005-2006)
    • Board of Directors (2002-2003)
  • Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Texas Association of Defense Counsel
  • British Columbia Bar (Inactive)

Insights

Events & Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker, Greater Houston Anesthesiology Social Media and Drug & Alcohol Abuse Seminar, “Drug & Alcohol Abuse – The Interface with the Practice of Medicine,” Houston, Texas (April 12, 2014)
  • "TMB Board Rules and Electronic Death Certificates," Presentation to Medical Staff (May 2013)
  • "Advance Directives: What Does the Law Say?" (November 8, 2010)
  • "Facing the Texas Medical Board: What You Need to Know When You Are the Subject of a TMB Investigation," GHA - American Physicians Insurance Company/Risks, Identification and Remedies of Substance Abuse (February 2010)
  • "Understanding and Avoiding Texas Medical Board Investigations," San Patricio, Aransas and Refugio Counties Medical Society (May 2008)
  • "Understanding and Avoiding Texas Medical Board Investigations," Guadalupe County Medical Society (April 2008)
  • "Texas Medical Board Complaints and Investigations," The San Antonio Orthopedic Group-San Antonio, TX (April 12, 2008)
  • "Legal and Risk Management Aspects of Running a Private Practice," The University of Texas Medical School-Galveston (March 4, 2008)
  • "Overview of Chapter 74 and Application to Health Care Liability Claims," University of Houston Law School (February 2006)
  • "Using Medical Records to Prove Your Case," National Business Institute (April 2005)
  • "Ethical Issues in Medical-Legal Practices," AALNC Greater Houston Chapter Annual Seminar (October 2004)
  • "Medical Records Confidentiality," National Business Institute (July 2004)
  • "Charting Practices," DePelchin Children’s Center (June 2004)
  • "HIPAA Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information," National Business Institute (September 2003)
  • "Medical Records Management for Paralegals," Institute for Paralegal Education (June 2003)
  • April 12, 2014
    Event
    Speaker
    Drug & Alcohol Abuse – The Interface with the Practice of Medicine, Greater Houston Anesthesiology Social Media and Drug & Alcohol Abuse Seminar, Houston, Texas
  • May 2013
    Event
    TMB Board Rules and Electronic Death Certificates, Presentation to Medical Staff

Publications

News

Education

JD, University of Houston Law Center, magna cum laude, Houston Law Review, Order of the Barons, Order of the Coif, 1997

LLB, University of British Columbia, 1993

BS, Nursing, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, cum laude, Registered Nurse, 1986

Admissions

Texas

Courts

US District Court, Southern District of Texas

US District Court, Northern District of Texas

US District Court, Western District of Texas

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