When you’re filing a medical malpractice suit, you need to work closely with your attorney in finding a medical expert witness. It’s important that your attorney finds the right medical expert witness for your case, and that this person is properly vetted. The bottom line is that your medical witness is a critical component to establishing your case.
Finding the Right Medical Witness for Your Case
Talk to your personal injury lawyer about how they are going to go about finding your medical expert. It may be that your attorney will consult with other attorneys or turn to the American Bar Association for assistance with this.
You may want to discuss with your attorney about looking for articles relevant to your case in databases of medical literature. Through detailed research, your attorney can also find an industry leader who sets the standards and guidelines that apply to your case. Finding a medical expert who has opined in a similar case makes it a lot more likely that that person would be a good fit for your case. Ensure that your attorney selects someone who works in the relevant specialty. This way, that person won’t be subject to criticism.
When it comes to finding the right medical expert for your case, talk to your attorney about starting to do this early on. While there are many other things to talk about in your case, finding the right medical expert takes time and is a necessity. You want to make sure your attorney begins this search promptly.
Vetting A Medical Witness
Ensure that your personal injury lawyer properly vets the medical witness. The right expert can provide good testimony that will be effective and bring value to your case. You want to talk with your attorney about whether or not this witness is a good and credible one. After all, a judge or jury will have to see them as qualified and credible. Ask your attorney if there are any weaknesses, discrepancies, or potential biases with this expert. Plus, it would be difficult if there are any conflicts of interest in an expert’s affiliation. Have your attorney put it in writing that there are no conflicts.
Determining the Right Medical Expert Witness For Your Case
Although it could be a bit of a process, it’s important that you carefully determine if this expert is right for you. It’s critical that your medical witness has the right qualifications relevant to your case. The expert’s curriculum vitae must also be accurate. This can be done by contacting the educational institutions that have been identified with the medical expert.
Make certain that your attorney does a detailed search on what that expert has said in the public domain, such as social media and blogging. If that expert has taken a position that relates to your case, this information may have a negative impact on your case. It’s also important for your attorney to do due diligence on damaging information, such as loss of a license or disciplinary actions. Things like this can come up during cross-examination.
Meeting Your Medical Expert Witness
Suggest to your attorney or law firm that they meet with the potential medical expert. First of all, a face-to-face meeting will help your attorney determine whether or not this person would make a good witness. A face-to-face meeting will also give your attorney more opportunity to explore the expert’s previous experience with facts of similar cases.
Identifying an expert witness is a big task. Avoid the potential rabbit holes and pitfalls by going with Dr. Edward Mallory. His years of expertise in the medical field and reliable, credible reputation could help you in your case. Contact Dr. Mallory today to learn more.
