Paralegals

Jessica Taylor | Legal Nurse Consultant

jessica@doyleseelbach.com

737.787.2111

Jessica attended the University of Texas at Austin School of nursing BSN-PhD program with research focuses on workplace violence, disability, and chronic pain. After many years of working full-time while attending graduate school, she completed the PhD coursework and was accepted into doctoral candidacy and holds a PhD-ABD in Nursing. In addition to required doctoral coursework, Jessica spent considerable time on other scholarly activities. She is an accomplished public speaker with multiple poster and podium presentations presented at professional and scholarly conferences from the local to international levels. Jessica is also a published author of several double-blind peer reviewed articles. 

Jessica began her professional nursing career after graduating from The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2006. Jessica was accepted as a graduate nurse to a specialty unit residency program for emergency nursing (ER) at South Austin Medical Center. Jessica earned a Board Certification in  Emergency Nursing (CEN) and was selected to be cross trained in the Intensive Care Unit. In addition to Jessica’s clinical nursing practice, she also loves to teach and was a preceptor for new ER nurses and nursing students. She served as a course instructor for The Crisis Prevention Institute’s Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Program, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, and Basic Life Support. Jessica created and implemented several process improvement projects that had a substantial impact on patient, staff, and hospital safety.

While working as an emergency department nurse Jessica was assaulted by a patient who was not arrested for the assault. This began a passion for creating changes to the response to violence in the workplace in healthcare settings. Jessica worked in three consecutive Texas legislative sessions to advocate for increased criminal penalties for assaulting a healthcare provider. Jessica spent significant time speaking directly to members of the Texas legislature, testifying in legislative hearings, and collaborating with the Texas Nurses Association and other key stakeholders on talking points and grassroot support.  In 2015 the Texas Legislature successfully passed legislation to increase assaulting an ER provider from a misdemeanor to a felony which is in line with treatment of assaults of other first-responders.

Jessica was active in the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) at the local and state levels throughout her clinical career including serving as an elected director for the Austin Chapter for 6 years. At the national level Jessica was selected by the ENA to collaborate in a work group to create a Workplace Violence Toolkit. Additionally, Jessica authored a resolution to change the ENA position statement on Workplace Violence to include language that the ENA supports enhanced criminal penalties for assaulting a healthcare provider and presented the resolution to the ENA General Assembly. The resolution was successfully passed, and the position statement amended accordingly.  

Prior to joining Doyle & Seelbach, Jessica worked for a large Austin law firm as a nurse paralegal in product liability defense for several years. In addition to working clinically as an ER nurse, Jessica has worked in ambulatory surgery in the preparation and post-operative care of patients and private-practice case management.

Jessica is a native Austinite and loves spending time traveling and with her family.