How to find a good medical malpractice lawyer? (Northern Virginia)

[mmntech]

People like you are what's wrong with America.

Going to have to agree. Quit wasting the courts' precious time and money.

 

[RKS]

med mal suits are expensive because you basically have to hire/find a doctor that states that the original doctor was negligent or didn't follow proper medical standards. These experts can sometime charge around $10K/day.
we are basically a PI shop but farm out med mal. even then we only file if it is a solid case with serious injuries, which you may not have.

 

[Mxylplyx]

complications w/spinal tap
many days in pain. Each day called doc. each day doc said give it 24hrs + pain should subside.
finally went to emergency room. a painful procedure fixed the problem

DIAF. Asshole

 

[AtlantaBob]

The Martindale-Hubble reference above is legit. That means a lot.

I would say that a legit attorney wouldn't take more than 33% of a final judgment amount. Anything more than that seems (in my experience, suspect).

This is just my opinion -- and it may have nothing to do with reality -- if they're advertising in the yellow-pages, they're already a little bit questionable. I'd ask for a few references from the attorney (just like you'd ask for a home contractor, etc.)

Also, most (if not all states') bar associations have a directory that lists if the person has any disciplinary complaints. If they do... run. And run far.

//Not an attorney, but I've been a paralegal for 5 years. PM me if you have any questions.

 

[AtlantaBob]

That should be 33.3 percent. Sorry about the weird quoting.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I had surgery once and I was in pain for weeks. Can I sue and retire also?

Egads.

 

[The Sauce]

This would be the definition of a frivilous lawsuit. Nevermind the fact that the spinal tap could have diagnosed a life-threatening condition and saved your life. A spinal headache is a common complication of the procedure and does not constitute malpractice. You had no bad outcome from it. There was no violation of the standard of care...you have no suit. Now get off your ass before the welfare office closes and get your check so that you can buy some cigrarettes and beer. People like you should just not go to doctors. Live a short life and sue yourself after you die.

 

[DaTT]

I had surgery once and I was in pain for weeks. Can I sue and retire also?

Egads.

Ooooo, I like it.

 

[edro]

Get ready to lose a ton of money and not gain anything.

The only way you will win a malpractice suit now a days is if the surgeon leaves a scalpel in your stomach.

You signed a medical release form prior to your spinal tap.
The doctor's recommendation to wait it out was probably the same advice you would have gotten from numerous doctors.

You had an unfortunate medical situation, just like millions of other people every day.
It's not their fault you didn't heal quickly.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

I want there to be universal records for patient care which also includes any lawsuits a patient has pursued against a hospital or doctor. I will outright deny care to any asshole like the OP that has had frivolous malpractice lawsuits.

Also, having just finished my anesthesiology rotation, like others said, it sounds like a post-dural postural puncture headache. Usually it resolves on its own and the doctor would most likely not do anything if the pain wasn't too bad.

What did they do in the ER? A blood patch?

 

[RKS]

I want there to be universal records for patient care which also includes any lawsuits a patient has pursued against a hospital or doctor. I will outright deny care to any asshole like the OP that has had frivolous malpractice lawsuits.

Also, having just finished my anesthesiology rotation, like others said, it sounds like a post-dural postural puncture headache. Usually it resolves on its own and the doctor would most likely not do anything if the pain wasn't too bad.

What did they do in the ER? A blood patch?

I'm an attorney and having ACL surgery today. Thank goodness my ortho is some self-righteous prick with his own wing-nut agenda that blatantly ignores the Hippocratic Oath.

(but I don't tell people with sharp objects what my occupation is...)

 

[Inspector Jihad]

I'm an attorney and having ACL surgery today. Thank goodness my ortho is some self-righteous prick with his own wing-nut agenda that blatantly ignores the Hippocratic Oath.

(but I don't tell people with sharp objects what my occupation is...)

did he go on a rant about how health care reform is gonna make doctors become the new starving artists?

 

[Whisper]

I agree with what seems to be the majority of the posters in this thread--it sounds as though you've suffered a relatively common side-effect of the procedure you've had. The doctor, knowing that this side-effect is relatively common, suggested the conservative course of action (which likely meets with success most of the time) rather than subject you to additional, potentially-unnecessary, procedures.

That seems to be about as un-malpractice-like as you can get.

 

[edro]

backfire threads are awesome

 

[shortylickens]

My mom has worked for big corporate firms in DC, like Akin, Gump & Strouss, and Cooley, Godward and Associates. They also work in Virginia

For reference, all together you will pay about a thousand dollars an hour for a small team or 2 grand for a full size team.

Thats how you tell a quality malpractice lawyer.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Jedi, do you remember signing an informed consent about the LP they did?

Your doc should have told you verbally and in writing that your complication and even death could result from the procedure.

And you're wasting your time, no malpractice lawyer will take your case because you have no death or disability, your pain and suffering was minimal and it's resolved.

Do you have insurance and did they pay your hospital bills?

There's a little thing called subrogation and your insurance company is entitled to recoup their payouts should you (and you won't) win.

Let me guess, you had vague symptoms and your doc wanted to do a LP? and it was negative wasn't it?

Sigh... Health care is so fucked up because docs are afraid of getting sued, they do ten thousand dollar workups all the time, and people bitch because of the invasive diagnostic side effects, the real assholes decide to sue anyway.