Locating Wound and Other Expert Witnesses By Liz Buddenhagen

Atlanta legal nurse consultant Liz Buddenhagen spoke at the South Carolina AALNC 2016 conference on February 20, 2016 about locating expert witnesses for wound and other cases.

Locating Expert Witnesses:

Buddenhagen said she has located “hundreds and hundreds” of expert witnesses for Atlanta attorneys over the last 10 years.

Starting with “intake,” Buddenhagen stressed the importance of either being familiar with the case the expert is needed for or obtaining a good description of the case from the hiring attorney.

Information needed from the attorney includes how soon the attorney needs the expert, how long of a turnaround the expert is to have to review medical records and give the attorney an oral report, when the statute of limitations is or the date experts have to be named by.

Buddenhagen talked about collecting the names of potential defendants for conflicts check, what kind of expert the attorney needs and any particular credentials or qualifications the attorney may want.

It was recommended to ask the attorney, if the legal nurse consultant is unaware, of the qualifications for admissibility of expert witness testimony be obtained from the attorney client, as the requirements are different from state to state.

It should be determined by the attorney whether the expert witness will be expected to opine on standards of care or causation or both.

Ten methods of locating experts were discussed.

Buddenhagen also “screens” experts which some refer to as vetting. Buddenhagen uses a screening form which she has developed over the last 10 years incorporating questions that attorneys have asked regarding the potential expert.

The expert’s curriculum vitae and fees for legal work are obtained, license verified and the collected information is given to the attorney client concisely.

The attorney will either accept or reject the expert. Should the attorney reject the expert, Buddenhagen said she continues to find more experts until she has one who is acceptable to the attorney client.

Wound Case Experts:

Buddenhagen briefly discussed three wound cases she had worked on and what kinds of medical experts were obtained to opine on the medical legal cases.

About SC AALNC:

For more information and upcoming educational events of the South Carolina AALNC, view website sclegalnurse.org.

About Liz Buddenhagen:

Atlanta legal nurse consultant Liz Buddenhagen assists Atlanta lawyers with medical legal cases including record reviews, timelines, summaries, reports and locating expert witnesses. For more information email Liz@BuddenhagenLNC.com , view www.Legal-Nurse-Consultant-LNC.com or call 770-725-2997.

Contact Information

Liz Buddenhagen, RN

Principal

Buddenhagen and Associates

(1) 770-725-2997

Liz@BuddenhagenLNC.com