I am Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM, FACFAS, a double board-certified foot and ankle surgeon in active clinical practice in Michigan. I review podiatric and lower-extremity cases for attorneys who need a working surgeon’s read on what the record actually shows: whether the care met the standard, what caused the outcome, and what the injury will mean going forward.

I accept engagements from both sides. I take the same position on the same facts regardless of who retains me, and I will tell you early if the record does not support the theory you were hoping for. That is usually the most valuable thing an expert can do for a case.

How I can help

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Why a practicing surgeon

Podiatric cases turn on details that are easy to miss from the outside: the difference between a reasonable surgical judgment and a technical error, whether an infection was recognized in time, whether a wound was offloaded properly, whether an amputation was avoidable, and whether the documentation reflects what actually happened in the office.

I still see these patients every week and still operate. That matters on cross-examination, where an expert who left practice years ago is vulnerable on the question of what the current standard actually is.

What working with me looks like

1. Conflict check and scope. Send the parties and providers involved and a short description of the claim. I confirm there is no conflict and tell you whether the case is inside my expertise.
2. Records. You send the medical records, imaging, and any depositions or prior expert reports.
3. Preliminary read. A verbal or brief written assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the case.
4. Formal report, if you want one. A written opinion with a chronology, the standard of care as I understand it, my conclusions, and the basis for them.
5. Testimony. Deposition and trial, scheduled around clinical obligations with as much notice as you can give.

Cases I review

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