Neurolaw: Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries.

• Author: Lundeen, Lars A.
• Position: Review

Neurolaw: Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries by J. Sherrod Taylor Reviewed by Lars A. Lundeen

This looseleaf formatted book is published in cooperation with ATLA Press. Its author, J. Sherrod Taylor, is a senior partner in his Columbus, Georgia, law practice where he frequently represents people with neurological injuries and their families. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the International Brain Injury Association and a former director of the National Head Injury Foundation. He also is the editor-in-chief of the Neurolaw Letter.

As those of us who have practiced in the neurolaw field know, the area of personal injury trial practice dealing with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) requires trial lawyers to have a good grounding in medicine, rehabilitation, and law in order to serve our clients properly. Due to the complexity of some of the subjects, Taylor has incorporated copyrighted works of other authors to expound in certain fields.

Approximately one third of this book is devoted to imparting a basic understanding of brain injury, beginning with brain anatomy and leading the reader through a discussion of both medical and legal definitions of brain injury. It also includes a detailed discussion of the sequelae of brain injury, including physical, cognitive, emotional, psychosocial, behavioral, and vocational impairments arising out of TBI. There also is a good discussion of the mild brain injury, the kind of injury which many attorneys face in their daily personal injury practice when your client says she was only dazed or lost consciousness for just a brief moment after striking her head. These injuries can be the most difficult to prove, yet are well documented in the medical literature.

The discussion includes a reprint of the article "Closed Head Injuries: Understanding the Issues" which first appeared in Trial Magazine in April 1988. It is this incorporation of the writings of other noted trial attorneys and medical experts in this volume which adds to its worth. It helps to outline the steps trial lawyers can take to evaluate their client, get the facts, and assemble neuropsychological evidence in support of their client. Particular emphasis is placed upon the analysis of closed head injury (CHI) and trial techniques for trying these cases.

Another major third of this volume is devoted to the early stages of litigating the neurological injury case. Helpful in this regard is the list of various...