In most personal injury cases that go to court, my clients testify twice: 1) in a deposition and 2) at trial. I work very hard to prepare my clients for these events. After my clients give their depositions or testify at trial they sometimes say: “Now I see why you spent so much time working with me in preparation.” The time spent is critical. I help my clients to be confident and comfortable while testifying. Then they can accurately and truthfully testify about the wreck, the injuries and the treatment. And how they have been harmed by the negligence of a bad driver or other wrongdoer.
The strategy of insurance defense counsel in almost every personal injury claim is to attack the injured person’s credibility. They will look for every little conflict between what the plaintiff says he told the doctor compared to what the doctor records in her chart. Busy doctors working hard to treat people’s problems don’t always get the history right. Like the reported speed of the cars involved in a wreck. Or all the patient’s body parts that hurt when some appear much more serious. The insurance defense lawyer will try to blame the plaintiff for that conflict to deflect the blame away from the defendant. With the preparation I offer my clients, they are in a much better position to hold the insurance company accountable.
Often the insurance company lawyer has a defense doctor examine the plaintiff. Those doctors specialize in working for insurance companies and writing reports and testifying in favor of insurance companies. Many of those doctors don’t even treat patients. They know what to say in order to get repeat business. They help give the insurance lawyer ammunition to use against the plaintiff, often pointing out trivial conflicts in the medical record. These insurance doctors often criticize the plaintiff’s treating doctor who is working very hard to help get their patients better.
My job is to thoroughly prepare my clients to stand up against these attacks by insurance doctors and insurance defense lawyers. That’s why I spend the necessary time with my clients in the comfort of my offices before they testify.