How to Work with Your Medical Legal Consultant

How to Work with Your Medical Legal Consultant

It’s bad enough when you have a debilitating illness or injury, but if you require legal intervention because of those circumstances, the world looks seriously gloomy.

Expert Witness Role

Medical expert witnesses may be a valuable part of your case. These legal consultants help your attorney frame your case. The consultant often has a background in the medical field and can review your medical record to determine what is important in your case, and what is inconsequential. The consultant can look at multiple injuries, sometimes to the same body part, and determine what is significant at this time, and what is not. They can provide the attorney with a timeline of events which outlines the presentation the attorney will use in a court proceeding.

A medical expert witness, though trained in a medical capacity, will be challenged in court on their credentials. For that reason, it is advisable to look for an attorney who works with an experienced witness. An experienced medical witness will not only support their findings with medical credentials, but will personally be an effective speaker and address the challenges the opposing attorney presents with confidence and authority.

Patient Role

As the patient, your job is to assist the medical consultant with information. You must be able to clearly provide your personal history and recollection of the events being discussed. The attorney will also prepare you for speaking on the witness stand. You are your best advocate.  It will be helpful if you can speak clearly and with confidence.

Together, the attorney, the medical consultant and you will outline the events that led to the situation requiring legal intervention. By involving the professional medical consultant, you will build a much stronger presentation of your case than if you were the only witness. Depending on the financial award at stake, the opposition will be well prepared to dispute your suit, so it is to your advantage to be as prepared as possible with professional support.