(Panel) Decoding Medical Experts: How Doctors See Your Case Differently for MyLaw CLE
This presentation will feature a panel of multiple individuals: Tara– our Company Founder and Owner, a forensic criminalist, along with two attorneys.
The core message of this Panel topic: Testimony is just the tip of the iceberg. The real value lies in the education and strategic insights experts provide throughout your case preparation.
Essential Takeaways:
- Hire Early, Not Late Expert input can fundamentally change case strategy. Early consultation prevents “I wish I had known” scenarios and ensures availability, especially for specialized areas like SANE.
- Education Over Advocacy Most experts never testify – their primary value is educating attorneys about complex medical issues. They identify what’s missing from records, provide alternative explanations, and help attorneys understand case strengths and weaknesses before surprises arise at trial.
- Be Specific in Your Requests Don’t just ask for “an endocrinologist” – provide detailed case context. Consider generalists like ER/Trauma physicians who have broad knowledge bases and can see the bigger picture.
- Think Beyond Testimony Experts add value throughout the case lifecycle: developing cross-examination questions for preliminary hearings, strengthening pre-trial negotiations with solid reports, and determining whether testimony actually helps or hurts your case.
- Prepare, Prepare, Prepare Treat experts as team members, not hired guns. Script direct examinations, discuss goals at each case stage, and maintain ongoing communication about strategy adjustments.
Speaker
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Tara GodoyBSN RN CFNTara Godoy is a Certified Forensic Nurse and has been working with Criminal and Civil Attorneys for over 10 years. She has a BS in Nursing from the University of Southern California and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through consulting and testimony she has assisted both the prosecution and the defense in obtaining an honest and fair resolution in hundreds of criminal cases. Along with her nursing staff and physician contractors, Godoy Medical Forensics has consulted on over 1500 cases nationwide and has worked at both the federal and state levels. Tara has been asked to present for national organizations such as the NACDL and the NDIA at their Forensics conferences in Las Vegas. Tara’s main areas of expertise are Strangulation and Blunt Force Trauma, but testimony is also offered on other cases where traumatic injuries occur or medical record analysis is needed.
