How to Start a Successful Expert Witness Practice

How to Start a Successful Expert Witness Practice

Conference
How to Start and Build a Successful Expert Witness Practice	Schedule
Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort Falmouth, Massachusetts	Faculty
August 16, 2006	Registration Info
	Registration Form
SEAK Expert Witness Directory	PDF of entire brochure
Executive Summary How to Start a Successful Expert Witness Practice is an intensive introductory workshop that is designed to show prospective and novice expert medical witnesses exactly what will be expected of them and how to start and build a successful expert witness practice. This course is specifically designed for prospective and novice expert medical witnesses and requires no advanced knowledge or training. Attendees will learn from an experienced faculty in a step-by-step fashion how to start and build a successful expert witness practice. A continental breakfast, lunch with faculty and a detailed workshop manual not available anywhere else will be provided to all attendees.
Learning Objectives At the completion of this course you will learn: � The role of expert witnesses in civil litigation, � What attorneys are looking for from their experts, � How to properly define your area(s) of expertise and practice areas, � How to draft a curriculum vitae appropriate for expert witness work, � How to get cases, � How to avoid ethical problems and maintain your integrity, � The essentials of expert witness report writing, � How to set your fee and collect it, � What to bill for and when, � How to draft a retention agreement to protect your rights, � The testifying skills and techniques attorneys are looking for, � Key expert witness risk management techniques, and � Much, much more. Faculty: Terrance Baker, MD, is an attending emergency room physician at Good Samaritan Hospital and forensic expert in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his BS and MS from Johns Hopkins University and his MD from the George Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Baker is board certified in Family Practice, Geriatrics, and Emergency Medicine. Dr. Baker is a former medical examiner of the city of Newport News, Virginia. Dr. Baker has served as a forensic medical expert for trial attorneys, defense attorneys, judges, district attorneys, and public defenders throughout the United States. Dr. Baker has also served as a forensic medical expert for the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, the joint Underwriters Association, and the Carolina Peer Review Organization. Dr. Baker has written and lectured extensively on expert witness issues.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006

7:30 - 8:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00 - 8:45 Role of Expert Witnesses in Civil Litigation: Attendees will learn the proper role of expert witnesses in civil litigation. Included is an explanation of Federal Rule of Evidence 702, what specific qualities attorneys are looking for when selecting expert witnesses, and the types of specific assignments experts can expect from retaining counsel including forensic consulting, report writing, and where necessary, testifying at deposition or trial. Questions and Answers.

8:45 - 9:15 Fine Tuning Your Area of Expertise and the Geographic Area You Would Like to Practice in: In order to start and build a successful expert witness practice, physicians need to define what specific areas they feel qualified to opine on and decide the geographic boundaries of their practice. Attendees will learn the importance of staying within their true area of expertise, how to craft a positive image and the pros and cons of statewide, regional and national forensic practices. Questions and Answers.

9:15 - 10:00 Pulling Together a Curriculum Vitae Appropriate for Expert Witness Work: Anyone considering starting an expert witness practice needs to maintain a C.V. Attendees will learn the importance of an accurate, up-to-date C.V., what should and should not be on a C.V., and how mistakes in preparing C.V.s can damage or destroy a physicians's credibility. Questions and Answers.

10:00 - 10:15 Break and Networking Opportunity

10:15 - 11:15 Spreading the Word-Marketing Your New Expert Witness Practice: In this segment, the faculty will show attendees numerous techniques to cost effectively market an expert medical witness practice and get high quality cases. Included, will be a frank discussion of what works and what doesn't work. Techniques discussed include networking, word of mouth, 24/7 marketing, internet marketing, directories, advertising, writing, speaking and expert witness referral agencies. Questions and Answers.

11:15 - 12:00 Maintaining Your Integrity, Credibility, & Ethics: An expert's integrity, credibility and ethics are his or her most valuable assets. In this section, physicians will learn how to deal with common problem situations and maintain their credibility and reputation. Included is an explanation of how to deal with short time lines, missing documents, inadequate information, being pushed outside of your true area of expertise, abusive questioning, amendments to your reports and other common problem situations physicians face. Questions and Answers.

12:00 - 1:00 Provided Lunch With Faculty

1:00 - 2:00 Essentials of Expert Medical Witness Report Writing: Anyone wishing to start a successful expert witness practice must be prepared to draft a written report summarizing their examination, findings and opinions. Such reports are often requested by counsel and may be legally required depending upon the jurisdiction in question. In this section attendees will learn why counsel may need a written report, what he or she is looking for in the report and what should and should not be included in expert reports. Questions and Answers.

2:00 - 3:00 Excelling While Testifying: Successful medical experts are those who are persuasive during direct examination and who stand up during cross-examination and at deposition. Excelling while testifying requires preparation and skill. In this section, attendees will learn the qualities and specific testifying skills and techniques that attorneys are looking for from medical experts. Questions and Answers.

3:00 - 3:15 Break and Networking Opportunity

3:15 - 4:15 Essentials of Expert Witness Practice Management: In this section attendees will learn the nuts and bolts of expert witness practice management. Included will be a discussion of how much to charge, what to charge for, how and when to collect your fee, how to prepare a basic retention agreement, and expert witness risk management. Sample forms will be provided to attendees. Questions and Answers.

4:15 - 4:30 Takeaways and Conclusions: The faculty will answer any and all outstanding questions. The faculty and attendees will then work together to develop a "bullet-point" list of the most important concepts, techniques and action steps learned in this workshop. Questions and Answers.