Medical expert witness litmus

Aphasia and the expert medical witness.

Psychiatrists have recently been criticized from within and outside the profession for rendering professional opinion in instances where their qualifications are inadequate. In forensic psychiatry, the problem of predicting dangerousness is a notable example. The forensic psychiatrist may also be called to testify as to the present or future competency of the aphasic patient. It therefore behoo...

Expert witness reform.

The legal system depends on the medical expert for evidence. Doctors readily complain about frivolous cases that go to trial, yet a lawyer cannot bring a frivolous claim to trial without a physician expert witness stating that the claim is not frivolous. An insurance company cannot raise premiums without medical expert witnesses servicing the increasing litigation against the insured. Physician...

On humanizing the expert witness: a proposed narrative approach to expert witness qualification.

Before expert witnesses may testify in court, it is necessary that they be qualified to render an expert opinion. The qualification process has three steps: first, the expert’s training, education, experience, and other indices of qualification are elicited on direct examination by the retaining attorney. Second, a proffer is made to the court of the witness as an expert; the proffer may be cha...

Liability for the psychiatrist expert witness.

OBJECTIVE An increasing number of general psychiatrists are acting as expert witnesses in the legal system. The purpose of this article is to help psychiatrists who are interested in doing forensic work by informing them of the risks entailed. METHOD The author reviews the medical and legal literature about expert witness immunity. RESULTS The author explains the traditional concept of expe...

Ballistics: A Study of the Expert Witness