What kind of Medico-Legal Work do you do?

The essence of being a good expert according to Dr Raman Sakhuja is to discharge their duty to the court, which remains their overriding duty. Demonstration of quality is dependent upon-

• Being aware of the Court procedures and rules (e.g. Civil Procedure Rules- CPR 35 directions in Civil matters or equivalent in Criminal matters)
• Maintaining independence
• Non- bias
• Helping the court in matters of his/her area of expertise (working within their area of expertise)
• To be able to provide a range of possible opinions in a case
• Be able to use the right burden of proof (e.g. Civil cases require ‘Balance of probabilities’)
• Be able to use the right legal test in Negligence claims

From an examination and reporting perspective, there is no set time and it depends upon the complexity of the case, the amount of records to be reviewed, an influence of court deadlines etc.
A small track RTA claim may need around 8-14 hrs of work but cases of Brain Injury may require a more extensive examination and reporting is more complex. In more complex claims, ongoing involvement of the expert to help the courts is the norm till the conclusion of the case.

To be able to maintain the quality of the medico- legal work, Dr Raman Sakhuja keeps up to date by attending regular updates, webinars and/or conferences. From time to time, Dr Sakhuja takes feedback from the court regarding the quality of reports prepared by him AFTER the case has reached its conclusions.