How to Start a Successful Expert Witness Practice
August 13, 2008
Falmouth, MA
Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort
www.seacrest-resort.com
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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.
Here's what past attendees have to say!
"Excellent"
"Practical tips on getting started"
"Speaker open and honest"
"Practical information"
"Good ideas, good information"
"Fair and balanced"
"Great"
"Interesting, well presented, easy to understand"
"Practical answers to questions"
"Presentation enabled the excellent manual to come to life"
"Thank you very much, your wealth of experience came through"
Distinguished 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.
Tuition
Tuition is
$495. Tuition includes a continental breakfast, lunch with faculty
and a detailed conference manual.
Click here for registration information.
Continuing Education Information
Click here for Continuing Education Information.
Schedule
- Wednesday, August 13, 2008
7:30-8:00Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:00-8:45Role of Expert
Witness 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.
8:45-9:15Fine 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.
9:15-10:00Pulling
Together a CV 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 physician's
credibility. Questions and Answers.
10:00-10:15BREAK &
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
10:15-11:15Spreading 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.
11:15-12:00Maintaining
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.
12:00-1:00LUNCH PROVIDED WITH
FACULTY
1:00-2:00Essentials 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.
2:00-3:00Excelling 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.
3:00-3:15BREAK &
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
3:15-4:15Essentials 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.
4:15-4:30Takeaways,
Conclusion and Evaluation
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.