24 minute read
KEITH LANDRUM
Keith Landrum Man of Integrity
Keith Landrum has a doctorate in podiatric medicine and is a practicing attorney in Beverly Hills, California. His journey in both the medical and legal fields has proven that he is not only wellskilled in his professions, but also a man of integrity. I had the opportunity of sitting down with Attorney Landrum and asked him some pointed questions as to how he managed to go from medicine to law and marry them into a prolific career that he is doing very well at. His response, “Everyone has drive…something that makes them strive to do more or better. The question is will they act on it?” Let’s take a look at what that meant for Keith Landrum.
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By Prather Jackson
You started out as a doctor. How did that come about?
I was born in East Chicago, Indiana. My grandparents had migrated there from Alabama for the steel mill jobs. My parents divorced when I was in middle school so I wound up being moved around and attended four different high schools. I finally graduated from Lompoc High School in Lompoc, California and I lived about one mile from the Lompoc Federal Prison, where several of the Watergate criminals were sentenced. I just knew that I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, so at some point in high school, I realized that I wanted to become a doctor. I had good grades and qualified for admission to University of California, Santa Barbara where I entered in 1973 and majored in Biological Science. Four years later, I finished Pre-med.
I recall that in 1976, there was a career day on the UCSB campus for all of the different medical specialties. There was a group from San Francisco representing the California College of Podiatric Medicine. We had a pretty amazing conversation about the extremely low number of existing Black podiatrists, and they encouraged me to pursue that career. That sparked my interest, so I did my research and found myself back in Chicago attending the Illinois College of Podiatric Medicine and obtained my doctorate in Podiatric Medicine in 1981. I was then selected as a surgical resident by Memorial Hospital of Hawthorne, and once again, I was back in California. I finished my surgical residency in 1982, was awarded a plaque of Surgical Excellence, and I started a private practice in Hawthorne, California specializing in podiatric medicine and foot surgery. I loved it!
In a nutshell – Managed Health Care. After 8 years of a successful practice, “Managed Care” emerged and started dictating what services they will allow to be provided to the patient, when those services can be provided, if approved, and how the services will be provided. This system also dictated who they will allow to provide the services. “Managed Care” forced my regular and potential patients to have to get permission to see me from the “Gatekeepers,” as opposed to seeking the best doctor for their problem/issue, and often this resulted in delayed care or no care at all. Because of this, my practice suffered and also the patients.
It was all becoming very clear as to what direction medicine was being pushed toward and that saving money instead of the healing of patients was the focus. It became more the business and economics of medicine as opposed to what is in the best interest of the patient. I was not into cutting corners when it came to the welfare of my patients…I ALWAYS looked out for their best interest, and that became a problem for me when I challenged what Managed Care was doing to the health and well-being of my patients and was going against the grain by advising my patients to pay for services out-of-pocket that Managed Care was denying them for.
Managed Care always had a waiting period and wanted patients to wait for needed services. I would not advise my patients to wait for services that were of great concern in my professional medical opinion. This particular patient went to the insurance headquarters and complained that she wanted to perform a procedure that they would not allow me to do. They called me in for a meeting and wanted to know why I was telling patients to go outside of the plan and seek medical treatment. I gave them the honest answer, “you guys are not covering services,” and they responded that that was not the way things worked. Imagine that! The patient took my advice and did not wait. She got a biopsy done at her own expense and the findings revealed that she had a Squamous Cell Carcinoma, which is a very bad form of cancer. Had she waited the time period that Managed Care deemed she wait, it would have metastasized through her lymph nodes and she would have had to have her entire leg amputated. She made a complaint against Managed Care to the insurance Commissioner. Instead of me getting a thank you or job well done, Managed Care gave me a warning that if I ever did it again, my contract would not be renewed. That was it for me. I started considering another profession.
Actually, College Professor was first on my list and lawyer was at the bottom of the list. With all of the science knowledge I had, I figured I could teach. I was looking for something that I could more readily transfer into. Lawyer was last on my list because I knew nothing about it, so once again, I did my research and found that I could help people more by being on that end of the professional spectrum. So I began law school, was admitted to the California Bar in 1993, and immediately started suing doctors and hospitals for negligence. Since I believed that medicine was heading in the wrong direction, I wanted to make sure that they would be held accountable for their choices. So since 1993, my practice has been focused on Patient Rights and advocating for those harmed by medical negligence.
So is that how you got into Medical Malpractice? What exactly is Medical Malpractice?
Medical Malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a medical or health care professional deviates from standards in his or her profession, thereby causing injury to the patient. The negligence might be the result of errors in diagnosis, treatment, aftercare or health management.
I take a medical malpractice case seriously and look at it from the eyes of the law. A negative treatment outcome does not mean that a health care provider has committed malpractice. Medical malpractice, in the eyes of the law, occurs when a health care provider deviates from the recognized “standard of care” in the treatment of a patient. “Standard of Care” is defined as what a reasonably prudent medical provider would or would not have done under the same or similar circumstances. If the doctor does not deviate from the standard of care and you still had a bad result, it is not medical malpractice. This is sometimes hard for a client to hear, but my job is to listen first to their side of the story and then review the medical records to substantiate their claim. From there, an Expert is sought out to either confirm or deny if the health care provider acted in a reasonable professional manner in their field, and if not, did their deviation cause the injuries.
The Statute of Limitations for medical malpractice lawsuits in California is no later than three years after the date of injury or one year after the plaintiff discovers, or through the use of reasonable diligence should have discovered, the injury (whichever occurs first).
Sometimes a case starts out as medical malpractice and ends up being a Wrongful Death suit. I handle those as well and wrongful death cases as a result of negligence on the part of governmental agencies, corporations, and insurance companies. The Statute of Limitations for Wrongful Death cases start at the time of death and the law states that any action resulting from the death of a person caused by the negligence or wrongful act of another part must be filed within two years.
What further areas associated with the medical or professional aspect of law do you handle?
VACCINE INJURIES AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSE DEFENSE.
Vaccine Injuries are real and a select small group of attorneys are privileged to be appointed to represent claimants before the Office of Special Masters of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. I am one of them. Stemming from the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) was set up in 1988 by the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services to compensate individuals and families of persons injured by covered childhood vaccines. The VICP was established after lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers and healthcare providers threatened to cause vaccine shortages and reduce vaccinations rate.
There is a three-year statute of limitations for filing a claim, timed from the first manifestation of the medical problem. Compensation covers medical and legal expenses, loss of future earning capacity, and up to $250,000.00 in pain and suffering; a death benefit of up to $250,000.00 is available. The burden of proof is the preponderance-of-the-evidence standard. To win an award, a claimant must have experienced an injury that is named as a vaccine injury in a table included in the law within the required time period or show a causal connection. Medical records for prenatal care birth records and pre-vaccination records, along with vaccination and post vaccination records needed.
PROFESSIONAL LICENSE DEFENSE
Many professionals have been the scapegoat for the mistake of others or play “fall guy” to corporate error and have found their professional licenses to be at jeopardy. My job is to defend their licenses so that they are able to keep what they have worked so hard to attain. I defend all professional licenses and am very successful in doing so. Medical licenses, Real Estate licenses, Attorney licenses, Insurance licenses, Teaching licenses, Contractor licenses…I have defended them all and many more.
For over a quarter of a century, Keith Landrum has been giving victims a voice in the legal system and providing them justice where justice is due. His successful law practice has a very high success rate for all cases that have gone to trial, and he has obtained substantial settlements for numerous others in his career. He is full of wisdom, strength, and know-how. His opposition respects him and his colleagues revere him. His clients adore and trust him, and his family and community stand by him. Most of all, everyone who knows him knows him to be a Man of Integrity.
LANDRUMLAWLLP.COM
Keith Landrum, Esq.
Attorney Keith Landrum with client.
LANDRUM LAW FIRM, LLP 8840 Wilshire Blvd Ste 321 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Telephone: (323) 292-4262 Fax: (323) 443-3648
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Books to Devour by Jane Ubell-Meyer, Founder of Bedside Reading
BOOKS WE RECOMMEND Bedside Reading® places books by the bedside in luxury & lifestyle hotels. As we march towards Spring we are showcasing new thrillers, memoirs, romance novels, and business reads. All of our authors are carefully selected before being placed in our hotels. This month we feature David Crow, author of the memoir The Pale-Faced Lie and Sharon Ann Ziegler, author of the novel, The Association.
The Body Double by Emily Beyda
A dark, glittering debut novel, The Body Double is the suspenseful story of a young woman who is recruited by a stranger to give up her old life and identity to impersonate a reclusive Hollywood star. A strange man discovers our nameless narrator selling popcorn at a decrepit small-town movie theater and offers her an odd and lucrative position: she will forget her job, her acquaintances, even her name, and move to Los Angeles, where she will become the body double of the famous and troubled celebrity Rosanna Feld.
Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan
Read the USA Today bestselling thriller that “keeps the dramatic reveals coming” as Detective Josie Quinn desperately chases a killer hidden within her close-knit town before it’s too late and they claim another victim (Publishers Weekly). The little girl curled into a tiny ball as the chamber grew colder around her. “Please,” she whispered, rocking back and forth. “I want to go home.” When Isabelle Coleman, a blonde, beautiful young girl goes missing, everyone from the small town of Denton joins the search. They can find no trace of the town’s darling, but Detective Josie Quinn finds another girl they didn’t even know was missing. Mute and unresponsive, it’s clear this mysterious girl has been damaged beyond repair. All Josie can get from her is the name of a third girl and a flash of a neon tongue piercing that matches Isabelle’s. The race is on to find Isabelle alive, and Josie fears there may be other girls in terrible danger. When the trail leads her to a cold case labelled a hoax by authorities, Josie begins to wonder is there anyone left she can trust? Someone in this close-knit town is committing unspeakable crimes. Can Josie catch the killer before another victim loses their life?
The Prize by Geoffrey M. Cooper
What does it take to win a Nobel Prize? Deceit? Fraud? Maybe even murder? When she finds a drug that has the potential to treat Alzheimer’s disease, Pam Weller is certain she’s made the discovery of a lifetime. But her success threatens the supremacy of Eric Prescott, a leading figure in Alzheimer’s research, who sees his chances at a Nobel Prize slipping through his fingers. His lust for the prize and the accolades that come with it drive him to concoct a plot against Pam that threatens her career, her freedom, and even her life.
July 1939. War is on the horizon but on Monk Island, Maine life goes on as usual. As the daughter of a lobsterman, Ellie Ames’ future seems limited until a mysterious German couple comes off the ferry with their nineteen-year-old son. From the moment she meets Karl Brink, the two become inseparable and not everyone approves because locals are suspicious of outsiders. Ellie ignores their scorn, however, and the secret she learns about Karl’s family makes her even more determined to be with him. The magical summer ends when the Brinks suddenly have to go home. And although Karl promises to return in the fall, by then Europe is at war. Two years pass and Ellie has all but given up hope when she gets a letter in the mail that will change her life forever. The Storm Beyond The Tides is the story of the unlikely romance between a small-town girl and a German on the eve of the Second World War and explores a frightening time in America’s past—when U-Boats prowled the East Coast and put small, coastal communities on the frontline of a global conflict.
Grace In The Wings by Kari Bovee
New York City, 1920. Grace Michelle has everything she wants: a home, a family, and a future career as a costume designer for famed showman Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr.’s Ziegfeld Follies. Pretty good for a girl who once lived on the streets of New York City. But when her sister, Sophia, the star of the show, is murdered, Grace’s safe and protected life is shattered.Battle-scarred by the war and emotionally scarred by his past, Chet Riker has made it a practice to keep his distance from others; love, after all, leads only to pain. But Chet has a problem—a big one: he’s become indebted to mob-boss Joe Marciano in an attempt to save his estranged mother’s life, and Marciano wants him to pay up or else. Desperate to get the money, he contacts former client Florenz Ziegfeld for work.
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Bulwark by Brit Lunden
Sheriff Clay Finnes has to admit that the fantastical stories, told by an accident victim as well as unusual sightings of wolves, things are getting a bit strange. A visit to the ominous Gingerbread House makes him realize that his life as he knows it will never be the same.
Leadership is never easy. Almost all leaders deal with both triumph and tragedy, oftentimes in equal measure. The fact of the matter is that leadership insists on constant rejection of the status quo. True leaders demand continuous reflection and improvement of those around them, and even more importantly, of themselves. True leaders are Changemakers. You will learn to become unafraid of doing something different in the service of a good cause and how to spark a movement that others can’t help but rally around. The Changemaker is a roadmap of sorts, designed to deliver comprehensive, common sense leadership strategies to people from all walks of life.
Conversations with our authors
DAVID CROW, THE PALEFACED LIE
A heart-wrenching memoir of a childhood that endured unspeakable brutality. David Crow’s life speaks to the enduring belief of the power of the spirit.
The Golf Course Millionaire by Robin Richter
When properly applied, golf has the amazing power to introduce you to interesting and influential people; to establish lasting relationships with movers and shakers; and to help you reach your full potential in your career and in your social circles. In short, golf has the incredible power to improve your life! Robin Richter, former golf pro, has been playing golf for over four decades. She has built her successful promotional products company, Wearable Imaging, Inc., through the many meaningful relationships that were developed on the golf course. In her book, The Golf Course Millionaire, Robin shares how a great hobby can lead to fulfillment both on the course and off; in business and developing lasting friendships and alliances. If you’re an avid golfer, this book will help you to use the sport to improve your life. If you don’t play golf, she provides ways to use golf to connect with influencers too! Get Robin’s book to leverage the amazing power of golf and witness the transformation that will happen to you!
Q: Your father had his own code of ethics. What is your code and how is it different from his? A: Most of society’s ills are caused by people with a code of conduct like my father’s, which justifies being dishon est, immoral, narcissistic, cruel, and violent. That is the convict code, and I’m sure every prison is filled with men and women with these characteristics. People like my father are devoid of empathy and sympathy. As a young man, after helping him with one too many of his crimes, I decided to be his exact opposite. I strive to be honest, mor al, transparent, kind, and empathetic. For certain, I have not always lived up to those standards, but I work as hard as I can to do so. I learned early on that you can’t attract people with high moral standards if your own morals are lacking. And on the flip side, you become like the people you befriend.
Q: The Pale-Faced Lie talks about strength and forgiveness. How did you find the strength to forgive your parents? A: Finding a way to cope with the trauma of my childhood was by far the hardest part of my journey, and I didn’t have any success until I was in my 50s. I knew that facing up to everything that had happened was a must. But how? Selfhelp books and therapy didn’t help.
For decades, most of the memories of what happened in Gallup when I was 10 stayed buried. I remembered little bits, hints, but that was all. Over the years, I returned to my childhood haunts, hoping to recall the details. Nothing. And then I met the owner of the house where I had been living at the time. He invited me in, and being in that space brought it all back. In a matter of hours, I told a kind stranger my life story, remembering everything about the house, myself, my siblings, and my mother and father. Afterward, I called my parents and asked them if they felt any guilt or remorse about how they had treated me. Both of them said I had been a terrible disappointment as a child and adult.
I realized that my parents would never change, that they would never think they had done anything wrong. In that moment, I decided to forgive them. Unconditionally. I did it for my benefit, not theirs. After years of feeling angry and guilty, I was somehow ready to let it all go and move on. Forgiveness is what finally worked for me. Other people might have chosen a different path. There’s no right or wrong way.
THE ASSOCIATION Sharon Ann Ziegler,
Back after an extended hiatus, a young female attorney takes on a powerful homeowners association and uncovers fraud, mystery, and murder! Along the way, she must find it within herself to navigate and succeed in a world where grossly confident men grandstand in gold jewelry, private investigators are always listening, and judges are not honorable—a world where people aren’t at all who they seem to be.
Q: How did you decide to write a novel, do you have any prior writing experiences or other experiences? A: Over the years I wrote numerous legal briefs and motions and I argued before a number of distinguished courts. I even argued a case before Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito when he was on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, a few months before he became a Supreme Court Justice.
Q: What are some of the issues you wanted to tackle in your novel? A: The book took close to four years to write. I wrote it with a different approach than other legal thrillers I have read. Most legal dramas deal with the big trial and the preparation for it. I wanted to show that there are many more aspects to the profession other than the big legal trial because trials are much more uncommon than what one would expect since most cases settle out of court. So I designed the book around the other types of court appearances attorneys routinely make i.e. call of the calendar on motion practice days, motions to dismiss, appellate and state supreme court arguments, etc. In addition, I tried to highlight how legal investigations are conducted and I tried to touch on how volatile negotiations between attorneys can become. Overall the practice of law can be very vicious at times.
Q: What is particularly sentimental to you about your book? A: On a personal note, my husband designed the cover and he is very proud of it. So proud in fact that I secretly secured for him a copyright on the image and surprised him with it.
