Nelson has no second thoughts about second career

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The law is a second career for Kristen Nelson, who had thought in high school and college about becoming a lawyer before going on to work for several years in the fashion industry. She said it was fun but she began to want a career that was more intellectually challenging.

“The thing I appreciate about the law is the older you get the more respected you are, and knowledge and experience are appreciated,” she said. “I like that you’re always learning and always being challenged. It’s never the same thing every day and when I leave with a headache, I know it’s because I’ve learned so much.”

Nelson earned her law degree and health-law certificate from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. She worked for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations in its Health-Related Prosecutions Unit. Being at a state agency trained her to understand the complicated set of laws, rules and regulations that health-care professionals can run afoul of. It also gave her an unusual perspective on the consequences of administrative investigations, civil lawsuits and criminal investigations.

She moved to Wisconsin and established a private practice specializing in criminal and health-care defense before joining Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown’s health-care practice. Her colleague Britt Frank said, “It has been an unbelievable fit for her with her demeanor and background” and called Nelson “an invaluable asset to GRGB.”

Nelson’s work involves the delicate duty of helping medical professionals keep their licenses and guiding them through stressful times of their lives.

“I enjoy the day-to-day accomplishments and when I’m able to help them it’s really rewarding,” she said.

Beyond professional licensing, her specialty practice areas include credentialing and peer review, criminal defense, investigations into health-care fraud and related litigation, white-collar investigations and defense, and appeals.

Nelson has written articles on the opioid epidemic and given presentations to veterinarians about best practices in telemedicine. She has represented clients before the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, the Wisconsin Department of Hearings and Appeals, Wisconsin State Courts and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

She also is active in the Association for Women Lawyers and the American Health Lawyers Association, serves on the Cedarburg Friends of the Library Board and is a volunteer for her daughter’s Daisy Scouts.