customary charges for court appearance

[Guest guest]

I may have to testify as a professional witness for an MVA case I had almost a

yr ago. I have no idea what to charge for my time, expertise and generally

looking awesome on the stand. What is considered customary? Do I send a

statement to the attorney?

I appreciate your feedback

Thanks

Babbitt, DC

Forest Grove health And Fitness

Forest Grove, OR

[Guest guest]

Dr. Babbitt, If the trial is scheduled during your normal clinic hours then simply determine the income in services you generally generate on average per hour and charge that hourly rate. You need to charge that same rate portal to portal meaning your travel time to and from your clinic. Require a pre-trial conference at least a week before trial and I would recommend a flat fee generally 50% of your hourly fee as you can schedule this pre-trial conference during non-clinic hours. Have an outline of things to cover during the pre-trial conference as this will reduce the amount of “shooting the breeze” talk that the attorney will facilitate and you as well wasting time. For example, 1. Review direct questions to qualify you as an expert and too pre-empt the defense attorney’s typical tired cross exam questions relative to you not having a medical degree. 2. Review the positive aspects of the case. 3. Review the negatives of the case. 4. Review anticipated cross exam questions and answers you will give. 5. What’s the defense attorney’s typical style e.g., mean and aggressive, passive “father confessor,” detailed etc. 6. Areas of the case to stay away from. You need to send your fee schedule to the attorney with a cover letter I would recommend fax and print a report. Hope this helps, Vern Saboe DC From: oregondcs [mailto:oregondcs ] On Behalf Of dr.babbittSent: Monday, April 09, 2012 8:53 AMTo: oregondcs Subject: customary charges for court appearance I may have to testify as a professional witness for an MVA case I had almost a yr ago. I have no idea what to charge for my time, expertise and generally looking awesome on the stand. What is considered customary? Do I send a statement to the attorney? I appreciate your feedbackThanks Babbitt, DCForest Grove health And FitnessForest Grove, OR

[Guest guest]

All good advice. The cost of the medical witness(es) is usually the biggest cost involved in an injury case. In the qualifications/scope of practice area, I’ve seen attacks on DC’s with questions about whether you have a bachelor’s degree, whether you’re allowed to prescribe meds, whether you’re allowed to perform minor surgery, and of course, referring to you as “chiropractor _________” rather than “doctor _________”. All cheap shots but it will resonate with the folks who are uncomfortable with DC’s to begin with. It’s the attorney’s job to get rid of the bad jurors during voir dire. Good and bad parts of the case: shoring up the bad points is important. Bad points often show up in other providers records, or with a comparison of multiple providers’ records. If you’re the only medical/causation/damages witness, you should ask for a copy of other providers records. If other witnesses will testify, you should ask the attorney in the conference if your records conflict with other providers records. T. Hill, PC520 SW Sixth Avenue, Suite 1250Portland, OR 97204(503) 227-4330chill@...http://www.portlandinjurylaw.com From: oregondcs [mailto:oregondcs ] On Behalf Of vsaboeSent: Monday, April 09, 2012 9:54 AMTo: 'dr.babbitt'; oregondcs Subject: RE: customary charges for court appearance Dr. Babbitt, If the trial is scheduled during your normal clinic hours then simply determine the income in services you generally generate on average per hour and charge that hourly rate. You need to charge that same rate portal to portal meaning your travel time to and from your clinic. Require a pre-trial conference at least a week before trial and I would recommend a flat fee generally 50% of your hourly fee as you can schedule this pre-trial conference during non-clinic hours. Have an outline of things to cover during the pre-trial conference as this will reduce the amount of “shooting the breeze” talk that the attorney will facilitate and you as well wasting time. For example, 1. Review direct questions to qualify you as an expert and too pre-empt the defense attorney’s typical tired cross exam questions relative to you not having a medical degree. 2. Review the positive aspects of the case. 3. Review the negatives of the case. 4. Review anticipated cross exam questions and answers you will give. 5. What’s the defense attorney’s typical style e.g., mean and aggressive, passive “father confessor,” detailed etc. 6. Areas of the case to stay away from. You need to send your fee schedule to the attorney with a cover letter I would recommend fax and print a report. Hope this helps, Vern Saboe DC From: oregondcs [mailto:oregondcs ] On Behalf Of dr.babbittSent: Monday, April 09, 2012 8:53 AMTo: oregondcs Subject: customary charges for court appearance I may have to testify as a professional witness for an MVA case I had almost a yr ago. I have no idea what to charge for my time, expertise and generally looking awesome on the stand. What is considered customary? Do I send a statement to the attorney? I appreciate your feedbackThanks Babbitt, DCForest Grove health And FitnessForest Grove, OR