A growing number of physicians seek to do med-legal reviews but can’t be found by attorneys. This article reviews four reasons why attorneys can’t find you and what you can do better to be discovered.
By Amy Fogelman with contributions from FlexMedStaff
*This article was originally published HERE and modified with permission for FlexMedStaff.com.
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Are you a physician who has been trying to make a name for yourself as a medical expert but don’t seem to be getting any traction with the legal community? If so, you’re not alone. Many physicians find it challenging to be discovered as a medical expert by lawyers and other legal professionals.
More and more physicians are looking to do med-legal reviews. This might include reviews for malpractice, disability, causation, ethics, and other medical-related topics. Any physician can become a medical-legal expert. Whether you are new to working as a medical expert or a veteran, it’s worth evaluating how easy it is for lawyers to find you. This article will discuss four reasons why lawyers aren’t contacting you for legal work and how to overcome these challenges.
There are many ways to be discovered by attorneys to act as a medical expert. Start by doing what is free…. Ensure that you have a professional-looking appearance on social media platforms recognizing your traits as a medical expert. Consider beefing up your LinkedIn profile to highlight your expertise and that you are looking for medical-legal reviews. Build a simple website that provides information about you and your contact information. Contact lawyers yourself by cold calling and emailing law firms with your CV. You could also consider paying to be listed on an online expert witness directory and signing up with an expert referral service.
Is it easy for the attorney to contact you or do they have to call your office and wait on hold, only to have his/her call returned days later? Ensure that you have an easy way for attorneys to find your contact information. Some options include a website landing page and including it on your LinkedIn profile and paid directory listings.
If you are hard to get in touch with, the attorney will move on to the next expert on their list. Don’t be shy! Freely share your personal email and cell number to make it easy for attorneys to contact you.
Experts with clearly defined niches fair better than experts who claim to know everything about everything. Think about what you are known for, what your colleagues come to you about, and which committees you have served on.
For example, try listing your expertise as “Stroke Protocols in the Emergency Room” rather than simply “Emergency Medicine” for three months and see which is more successful for you. Consider A/B testing for multiple niches to find what is most successful. Just make sure that they are in your area of expertise. Make sure to stay in your lane to avoid any Daubert Challenges.
Unfortunately, attorneys talk. Make sure you do A+ ethical work that impresses the attorneys and stands up to legal scrutiny from the beginning.
We don’t learn legal definitions and analysis in our medical training. Consider reading a book or taking a course to understand how always to do your best work to get recommended.
Happy clients and word-of-mouth are the best way to grow your expert business. Once you get your first few jobs and knock their socks off with excellent quality work, word-of-mouth will make you a sought-after expert.
It can sometimes be hard for attorneys to find physicians looking to do expert work, especially if physicians don’t take the time to advertise their services. If you are a physician looking to grow your volume of med-legal reviews, consider expanding your presence on social media, professional networking sites, and directories and having your own professional website. Ensure that your message to attorneys is clear and concise so that attorneys know why to contact you. Lastly, make it easy for lawyers to contact you and always produce your best work. This will help lawyers find you and will increase your visibility. All in all, although it can be challenging to get noticed by lawyers, with the right tactics, it is possible.
Disclaimer: Content is for educational and informational purposes only.
***Amy Fogelman is an internal medicine physician. She founded her award-winning Medical-Legal Consulting Firm, MED LAW Consulting, LLC, in 2018. She has matched 400+ expert witnesses to attorneys across the US. Amy loves teaching medical professionals how to launch and scale their expert witness careers. You can visit her website HERE and contact her at amy@medlawconsulting.com
Very interesting subject, thanks for posting. “To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.” by G. K. Chesterton.