TMF Seeking Excellent Physicians and Nurse Expert Witnesses
The Moses Firm needs well-credentialed physicians and nurses to help us evaluate medical malpractice cases. Our team of expert witnesses helps us determine whether cases are viable by evaluating whether other healthcare providers violated the standard of care and whether those violations caused the patient’s injuries. We could not help our clients and promote patient safety without the brave expert witnesses who are willing to stand up for patients, safety, and justice.
If you are interested in being an expert witness, please send us you CV and Fee Schedule at moses@themosesfirm.com. If you have never been an expert witness before, that is okay. We will teach you how to get started and what to do. We always get great feedback from first-time expert witnesses who say it was intellectually stimulating, a lot of fun, and it made them a better clinician for their patients in their own practice.
Here are some tips that we have developed over the years that will help you as you work with our firm and other reputable firms like ours.
1. Be honest, recognizing any bias you may have. If it’s a case, clearly and unequivocally identify where the violations occurred. If it’s unclear, point that out as well so we know where the debate will be. If it’s not a case, say so and help the lawyer move the case down the road.
2. Be easy to work with. There is nothing more delightful than working with an excellent, highly-credentialed expert witness who is easy to work with to boot. Be helpful and accessible.
3. Be familiar with the important facts and the relevant timeline in the case. Review the medical records and depositions carefully.
4. Clearly understand what your opinions are. Who violated the standard of care? How so? What did not violate the standard of care? What “more likely than not” caused the injury?
5. The “humble teachers” are the best witnesses. Simplify complex issues for the attorneys and the jury, and do it with some humility.
6. Anticipate the defenses and counterarguments, and be prepared to unravel them with references to the medical record, imaging, deposition testimony, textbooks, literature, etc.
7. Don’t take things personally when you are attacked or challenged by the opposing lawyer. Treat this like an intellectual debate.
8. Be aware that all your emails and text messages that you have with the lawyer who hired you may be shared with the opposing counsel. So avoid putting substantive commentary, questions, and information in our communications. This should be discussed strictly by phone even if it’s helpful to our side of the case.
9. Be fair in your billing. Give a general itemization of what work you performed relative to your time billed, but don’t go overboard in detail.
10. Send more frequent smaller invoices rather than infrequent large ones. We advance and risk substantial sums of money for our clients so that they can have a chance in court. There are not too many things more painful than receiving a surprise large bill from an expert witness.
