Expert Witness Services
Merit screening, standard-of-care and causation opinions, independent medical examinations, rebuttal review and testimony.
I am retained by plaintiff and defense counsel in podiatric malpractice, personal injury and lower-extremity disability matters. Engagements range from a one-hour merit screen to full retention through trial. The matters I review and my qualifications are set out separately, and fees and engagement terms are on their own page.
Merit and screening review
Before you commit to a case, a focused review of the core records and a direct answer: is there a departure from the standard of care here, and is there a causal link to the claimed harm? Delivered verbally or as a short memorandum. Most screens turn around quickly and are the least expensive way to avoid an expensive mistake.
Standard-of-care opinions
A written opinion addressing what a reasonably prudent podiatric physician and surgeon would have done under the same circumstances, whether the care in question met that standard, and where specifically it did or did not. Michigan matters that require an affidavit of merit under MCL 600.2912d are handled with those requirements in mind.
Causation and damages
Whether a given act or omission caused the outcome, and what portion of the outcome is attributable to the underlying disease, prior injury or patient factors. In personal injury matters this includes apportionment between the incident and pre-existing pathology, permanency, and the foot and ankle care the plaintiff is likely to need going forward.
Record review and chronology
A clean medical chronology built from the records, with the clinically significant events flagged and the gaps identified. Useful on its own for deposition preparation, and often the fastest way to find the moment a case actually turns.
Independent medical examination
In-person examination of the claimant with a written report addressing findings, diagnosis, causal relationship, appropriateness of treatment to date, work capacity and future care. Examinations are performed at my Michigan offices in Howell and Bloomfield Township. Reports address the same questions a personal injury or workers’ compensation matter usually turns on.
Rebuttal review
Review and critique of an opposing expert’s report: whether the opinions are supported by the record, whether the literature cited says what it is claimed to say, and where the reasoning is vulnerable on cross.
Deposition and trial testimony
Testimony that explains foot and ankle medicine to a jury in plain language without overstating what the record shows. I prepare with counsel in advance and hold to the opinions in my report.
Where these services get applied most
The two areas counsel bring me most often are foot and ankle surgical claims — bunion correction, ankle fracture fixation, Achilles repair, revision of failed surgery — and foot drop and peroneal nerve injury.
Common questions about these services
What is a merit screen?
A focused review of the core records and a direct answer on two questions: is there a departure from the standard of care here, and is there a causal link to the claimed harm. Delivered verbally or as a short memorandum, and the least expensive way to avoid an expensive mistake.
Do you produce formal written reports?
Yes. A written opinion with a medical chronology, the standard of care as I understand it, my conclusions and the basis for each of them.
Can you review an opposing expert’s report?
Yes. Rebuttal review addresses whether the opinions are supported by the record, whether the literature cited says what it is claimed to say, and where the reasoning is vulnerable on cross.
Will you testify at deposition and trial?
Yes. I prepare with counsel in advance and hold to the opinions in my report. Scheduling runs around an active surgical practice, so as much notice as possible helps.
What if part of my case falls outside podiatry?
I will say so. Where a question belongs to vascular surgery, infectious disease or another specialty, stretching to cover it would only create a problem on cross.
My matter is not in Michigan. Can you still review it?
Record review, chronologies and written opinions are not limited to Michigan — the work is done from the records and the literature, wherever the case sits. Independent medical examinations and live testimony need travel or a remote arrangement, so raise those at the conflict-check stage. Requirements for a testifying expert vary by state, and that is worth settling before anyone spends money on a report.
For matters filed in Michigan, this page covers the statutory qualification tests and the pre-suit sequence they sit inside.
Where a matter is filed in Michigan, the affidavit of merit sets the first deadline and decides who may sign it.
Start with a conflict check
Send the parties, the venue and a two-sentence description of the claim. I will confirm there is no conflict and tell you plainly whether the case is inside my expertise. There is no charge for that first conversation.