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Could trying to “help” in a legal situation actually put your practice at risk? How prepared is your practice if a legal issue arises tomorrow? Why should you be proactive about legal protection for your private practice?
In this podcast episode, Brandon Shurn discusses protecting your practice and why legal preparation shouldn’t be optional with Logan M. Hartz.
Podcast Sponsor: POP Consulting
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Meet Logan M. Hartz
Logan M. Hartz is an attorney, professional family mediator, and educator who helps therapists and private practice owners navigate legal risk, family law issues, and court-related challenges. Through his consulting and training work, Logan specializes in helping clinicians protect their practices with stronger policies, better legal preparation, and proactive systems. He is the founder of Out of Court Oklahoma, where he provides legal education and guidance for mental health professionals and group practices.Visit Yellowood Legal and connect on LinkedIn.
In This Podcast
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Why you need legal consult
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The benefit of being prepared
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Logan’s trainings
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Final takeaways for listeners
Why you need legal consult
When I’m consulting, I don’t recommend that therapists do anything voluntarily. I don’t recommend that you volunteer to go to court to testify; I recommend that you don’t give records unless it’s under a court-ordered subpoena … The reason is that if you volunteer, you have opened yourself up to intervening in the litigation, and that can be really dangerous if an attorney on the other side knows what they’re doing. (Logan M. Hartz)
Many therapists can accidentally get themselves into hot water when it comes to therapy and family law.
While they may offer or volunteer to write a letter or testify in an effort to assist the situation, it could seriously backfire and potentially cause harm to them, their practice, and their future clients.
You thought that you were keeping yourself at a distance by writing the letter, but that letter … [An attorney would want] to know why you wrote it, what information you used in that, and I want to know the purpose … What started as you thinking, “I’ll keep myself at a distance”, you are now neck-deep in it. (Logan M. Hartz)
This is why Logan proactively trains practice owners and their staff to keep them safe when it comes to the nitty-gritty of family and court law.
The benefit of being prepared
You’ve got so much to think about … Website designs, streams of revenue, getting clients … The legal part can sometimes fall by the wayside because you may not even think, “Now I need to have an attorney!” And not that you need that, but I think it is critical that your office policies are consistent, detailed, and that you have a good handle on [your] statutes and regulations that [govern] your license require of you. (Logan M. Hartz)
Being prepared, especially when it comes to legality, will not only save you an immense amount of money and stress if a problem were to arise with a client, but it ultimately protects your practice as an entity overall.
Don’t wait for an issue to come up to need legal counsel, because by that stage, it may either be too late or too expensive.
Be proactive in working with an attorney now. You don’t need to have one on retainer per se, but go over the paperwork now and make sure that everything is in order, and that you know what to do if an issue were to come up.
Logan’s trainings
Logan offers a lunch-and-learn training style for therapists and private practice owners, giving them a strong foundation as well as practical knowledge on how to approach family law and legal matters proactively in their practices.
For example, Logan gives practical tips and advice to therapists on how to structure legal paperwork and responses.
This is something that is worthwhile doing, because you give yourself the best shot at legal success in the long run while minimizing the chance of issues.
Final takeaways for listeners
If you are a practice leader or a practice manager, read the statutes that govern your license [and] not just the statutes, but the administrative code [as well], because they can be more detailed for all the different kinds of license holders that you have in your office. (Logan M. Hartz)
1 – Be familiar with the fine print on the statutes and administrative codes that govern the different types of licenses practicing in your business.
2 – Give strong, detailed office policies to your staff to employ when the time comes that have been written by you and a qualified state official attorney.
3 – Get proactive training on standard issues, because it’s not a matter of “if”, it’s a matter of “when.”
Useful Links:
- Work with us
- Visit Yellowood Legal and connect on LinkedIn.
Check out these additional resources:
- Why Your Marketing Isn’t Working and How to Fix It with Myown Holmes | GP 325
- Practice of the Practice Network
- Group Practice Launch
- Group Practice Boss: www.practiceofthepractice.com/grouppracticeboss $149 a month
- PoP Group Practice Owners Facebook Group
- Free resources to help you start, grow, and scale
- Work with us
- Practice of the Practice Network
Meet Prof. Brandon Shurn
Brandon Shurn, Ph.D., LCPC, LMHC, AFC®, NCC, is a licensed clinical professional counselor and the founder of EmPower Me Holistic Counseling, a fully virtual Maryland-based practice. He’s also a full-time professor in Seattle University’s online Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. With extensive experience launching and directing university training clinics, Brandon now focuses on helping therapists design and grow impactful, sustainable practices. Outside of his work, he enjoys fitness, yoga, Wing Chun, golf, reading, and spending time with his family and dogs.
Visit Empower Me Counseling, and connect with Brandon on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Email him at: [email protected]
