Jennifer Johnson

Law Office of Jennifer R. Johnson

Tustin, CA USA

"Even if I’m worried I won’t have what it takes, I'm at least not going to be too afraid to try."

Career Roadmap

Jennifer's work combines: Law, Medicine, and Helping People

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Medical Malpractice Attorney

I combine my nursing background with law to help people who are victims of medical malpractice seek justice.

Bachelor's Degree: Music, General

Bachelor's Degree: Educational Psychology

Vocational: Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse

Doctorate: Law

My path in life took a while to figure out

1.
I come from a family of people that have dedicated their lives to the service of others. My father was a minister and my mother was a nurse, so helping people was kind of in my DNA.
2.
I originally studied music education and psychology but couldn’t find a job in those fields, so I worked multiple waitressing jobs at a time after graduating to pay my student loans.
3.
My mom suggested that I consider nursing, so I decided to go back to school.
4.
I got my nursing degree, but I always knew it would be a stepping stone to either medical school or law school.
5.
I started going to law school while continuing to work as a nurse on the weekends.
6.
After graduating law school and passing the bar, I worked as a partner in several medical malpractice law firms.
7.
In 2011, I decided to start my own private practice.

Keep following my journey

THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Someone like you can’t become a lawyer.
How I responded:
My family didn’t have a lot of resources. I worked as a nurse on weekends- 12 hour shifts in the ICU all through law school- to earn money to put myself through school. The general attitude was “Who do you think you are?” Bu, despite not coming from a family that could pay for my education, I knew that I could make it happen. If I'm afraid to do something I make myself do it, and so I thought, "Well, even if I'm worried I won't have what it takes, I'm at least not going to be too afraid to try."

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

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My first day of law school was the first time I met a lawyer, I was worried I was out of my league.
Starting out, money was an issue. I had to work full-time in a demanding job during law school to stay afloat financially.
Working in medical malpractice law, you hear horrible stories and it can be very stressful. You have to remind yourself to not get overwhelmed. I had to learn to make time to personally connect with my clients and be empathetic.

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