Dr. Joel E. Lavine has provided medico-legal help in multiple lawsuits and helped plaintiffs or defendants come to appropriate judgments regarding terms and outcomes. Experts start by examining the scope of a case and evaluating evidence based on their knowledge and research. Typically, this process includes gauging what kind of situation they’re tackling and the best approach for gathering and presenting evidence for a written opinion, possible deposition, and possible trial.
Medicolegal experts may provide assessments, including physical examinations, to determine whether a symptom or sign is due to the matter in contention. The intent is to get a comprehensive understanding of a person’s disability and how it may impact the quality of life or loss of capabilities.
Other medicolegal experts may perform emotional or mental health evaluations. This often includes long-term analysis before a case, discussions with the individual, and perspectives from family or treatment providers. Medicolegal experts weigh this information in their assessment of the case entirety.
Case types tackled by medicolegal experts include disability examinations, worker’s compensation cases, diagnostic testing for independent medical examinations, and expert witness testimony during a trial. The scope of an expert’s role will vary depending on these cases.
Similarly, worker’s compensation cases revolve around providing clear medical evidence that a worker was or was not injured while on the job or due to potentially dangerous exposures. Medicolegal experts should not take clear sides in a case but base testimony on their findings. For instance, they may find that an individual’s status was brought on by an at-work injury and state that they can no longer work in a productive way due to this misfortune.
Beyond injury cases, Joel Lavine MD has also provided expert testimony after independently assessing an individual’s behavior and health in a case. This may include gauging whether they are psychologically capable of being tried or if they need ongoing psychological treatment. They may either provide evidence that reinforces a person’s claims or conflicts with them, depending on their personal observations.
Lastly, Columbia University Professor Joel Lavine can provide diagnostics and testify to juries to understand and provide accurate and meaningful diagnoses. This can include reporting on emotional troubles that may have impacted them and discussing physical injuries that may have limited their ability to work.
Medicolegal professionals are considered critical for lawsuits and are some of the most admired and respected legal experts. Their opinions and explanations are taken very seriously, as is their impartiality. Dr. Joel Lavine has strived to remain neutral in all cases and bases his testimony on what he deems the absolute or most probable truth. There have been many cases when he had to testify for or against an individual based on medical science, not whether he is in favor or against the charges being considered.