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Sidebar - What You Control (Building Your Expert Practice, Part 2) · Statutes & Stethoscopes | Trial Lessons for Medical Injury Lawyers

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: This is Decky Steps.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Tracy Libertori.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Every episode I take one place where medicine and the courtroom collide and break down what actually works.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: If you're a clinician who wants this work, or an attorney who needs an expert who can hold up, you're in the right place.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get into it.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody, last time we talked about why building an expert practice doesn't happen overnight.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Today I want to give you the other half of that.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's a lot you cannot control.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Court calendars, when a case settles, when an attorney decides that they need somebody.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: But there's a lot that you can control.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: And the experts who get busy are almost always the ones who focus on that part first.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: So let's go through it.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, be easy to reach.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: This sounds simple, and it's the one that costs experts the most cases.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: When an attorney or a firm reaches out about a case, they usually have more than one name on the list.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: If you take four days to answer, they've already found somebody.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: So answer within a business day.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Even if the answer is I'm in clinic this week, can we talk Thursday?
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: If you can answer within the hour, even better.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Or hire someone that can.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Check your email, check your voicemail, make sure your contact information is current everywhere it appears.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: If you're going to be away, say so ahead of time so nobody's waiting on you.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Again, hiring somebody to answer the phones could become very important if you're not readily available.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, answer the conflict check fast.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Before you can be retained, a conflict check has to be run.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Do you know any of the parties?
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Do you work at the facility?
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever treated this patient?
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Answer the questions quickly and honestly.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: A slow conflict check is a slow retention and sometimes it's no retention at all.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, turn your work around on time.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: When you accept a case, you're accepting a deadline.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: If the attorney needs your review in 30 days, plan for it.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: If a file is bigger than expected, speak up early, not on day 29.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Attorneys will remember the expert who made their deadline easy.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: They will also remember the one who made them file for an extension.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, write a report that holds up.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: This is the big one.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Your report is your work product.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's what the attorney reads, what opposing counsel picks apart, and what decides whether you get called again.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Clear opinions, plain language, and the right standard language for the jurisdiction, every opinion tied to the records.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: If your report needs heavy editing every time, the attorney's gonna notice.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: If it's a clean and it holds up, they're definitely gonna notice that too.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: And keep learning.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Rules change, courts change what they expect.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: The experts who keep sharpening their reports are the ones who keep getting cases.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Number five, keep your CV and profile working for you.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Your CV is often the first thing an attorney sees.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: It should look like a medical legal CV.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Current dates, current certifications, the clinical experience that matches the kind of cases you want.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: If you've added a certification or a new role, make sure it's updated.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: An outdated CV quietly tells an attorney that you're not paying attention.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Number six, get your name out there.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Start writing.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Articles, blog posts, a short piece for a newsletter.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: When an attorney searches your specialty and finds something you wrote, you're no longer just a name on a list.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: You're someone who knows the subject matter.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Speak if you can.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Say yes to the podcast.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Be visible in the places attorneys look.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: None of this produces a case overnight, but it all adds up.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Also, in that vein, be careful about the things that you do speak publicly about because they may be brought up in court.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: So be prepared to be able to answer questions on anything that you publish publicly.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Number seven, be prepared for the hard parts.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Depositions and trial testimony are where reputations are made and lost.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Show up having reread your report and the records.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Know your CV code.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Stay in your lane.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Stay calm when opposing counsel pushes.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: An attorney who watches you handle a tough deposition well is an attorney who calls you for the next case.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Number eight, be someone people want to work with.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Be professional, be honest about what you can and can't opine on, don't overpromise, don't oversell, and treat everyone on the team well.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: From the attorney to the paralegal to the person scheduling your deposition.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: Paralegals talk and they often have a say in who gets called.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Number nine, take on the cases that fit.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Medical legal work covers medical malpractice, personal injury, nursing home cases, wrongful death for plaintiffs, defense, criminal letters.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Be open to both sides and to the full range of cases in your specialty.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: The experts who only want one kind of a case from one side or another usually will wait the longest.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: You want to look balanced, not out for one side or the other.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: So here's your quick cheat sheet.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: Answer within a business day.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Being reachable gets you more cases.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Do conflict checks fast and honestly.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: Make every deadline and speak up early if you can't.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Your report is your work product.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: Keep making it better.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Keep your CV current and get your name out there through writing and speaking.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Prepare for depositions like your reputation depends on it because it does.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Be easy to work with and open to the full range of cases that you're qualified for.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: This is educational information, not legal, financial, or business advice.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Every expert's experience is different.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: There's no promise or guarantee of any number of cases, any income, or any timeline, and the time and effort you put in helps determine how busy you will ultimately become.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: If it was useful, follow the show so the next one finds you.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're a clinician who wants to do this work properly, start with the Expert Report Starter Kit at National Expert Academy.com.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Tracy Librettor.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you on the next episode.