Medical negligence can occur in almost any medical setting, and doctors are not the only ones liable for mistakes. If you are defending a patient who received critical medical care that ended up poorly executed, you may need a medical malpractice expert witness.
However, medical malpractice expert witnesses can make courtroom mistakes that might harm your medical-legal reputation. Follow these tips to avoid those mistakes.
1. Academic and Work Experience
A medical expert’s opinions can be more than their personal experiences gained while working in the medical sector. They also need to have expertise gained from their academic studies and published medical articles.
The medical malpractice expert witness must be able to simplify the complicated technical and scientific language and terms so that a layperson with no prior medical education can comprehend the primary concerns raised by a case.
2. Get an Expert Who Has Not Appeared on the Witness Stand Many Times
Many legal representatives value the opportunity to collaborate with a highly qualified medical expert witness who has never testified before or has only a limited amount of experience doing so.
The more times an expert has taken the stand, the greater the likelihood that the opposing counsel will attempt to depict the expert as a paid witness and dismiss them based on previous disclosures from proceedings and court hearings.
3. Check To See That the Expert on Medical Malpractice Does Not Have Any Conflicting Interests
Conflicts can arise for various reasons when medical professionals in the same town or region frequently interact with professionals at social events. There is the potential for further conflicts when linked with medical institutions, practices, and law firms.
Before you hire a medical expert witness, you must make sure that you conduct a preliminary conflict vetting. It is often better to employ an expert from a different geographical area to prevent expert conflicts in a case involving medical negligence.
According to estimates, less than 1% of civil lawsuits reach a jury. If you want your case to get its day in a jury hearing, get a medical malpractice expert witness who can evaluate the case’s facts, produce written statements, and use models and other visual aids to clarify their hypotheses.
If you are in need of a medical malpractice expert witness, contact us today! We have over 300 medical experts on our team who are licensed, board-certified, or board-eligible.