Checklist - Finding, Screening, and Using Experts

1. Develop your knowledge of the medical topic before selecting the expert.

   For example, if a case concerns a broken tibia, then you must know almost all there is to know about this broken bone prior to selection. Often, medical knowledge is critical to determining what type of expert is needed. For example, I had a case involving several individuals who contracted hepatitis in a mobile home park. Initially it appeared that the type of expert needed was an infectious disease medical doctor. Just in time it was determined (after speaking with several infectious disease specialists) that the correct doctor to be used was a toxicologist.

2. Improve your understanding of medical terminology.

Review printed or online medical dictionaries or glossaries. See http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dictionaries.html for a number of these.

3. Retain the expert early.

   Even though it is expensive to hire an expert in the early stages of a case, that expert should be able to help you pinpoint the case weaknesses and to build on the aspects of the case which will generate higher settlement dollars or a higher verdict.

4. Deny the defense a good expert by early retention.

   The earlier an...