By Vanessa De Vries, Operations Manager

This article, by Vanessa, our Operations Manager, explores how INNEG’s client feedback-driven approach elevates expert witness quality, enhancing outcomes and efficiency in personal injury and clinical negligence cases. It's all part of how we help solicitors accelerate their claim lifecycle and reduce unrecoverable costs.

The Importance of Quality Expert Witness Reports

In the world of personal injury and clinical negligence, the quality of expert witness reports can make a significant difference in the outcome of a case.

Accurate and reliable expert testimony can be the deciding factor in achieving justice for your clients.

First hand Experience in Managing Injury Claims

As someone with over 20 years of experience managing serious injury claims before joining INNEG as Operations Manager, I've seen first hand how the quality of expert evidence can significantly impact a case.

No matter how careful I was, the quality of expert evidence (or lack thereof) always raised its ugly head from time to time.

I remember situations where:

• I had to instruct someone new and ultimately write off the report because it was not fit for purpose, wasting six months and several thousand pounds.
• My preferred experts suddenly started providing poor reports, possibly due to being too busy.
• Brilliant experts couldn’t keep to promised timeframes or court deadlines, leading to several close calls.
• Experts who communicated wonderfully pre-instruction suddenly disappearing when it came to amendments or conferences.
• Experts who wrote great reports but were then poor in conferences.

A New Approach at INNEG

When I joined INNEG, I was delighted to see that they have built their structures and systems with client-focused metrics, using solicitor feedback as a crucial tool to maintain the high quality of their expert panel. Every report we facilitate, we ask the instructing solicitor (claimant or defendant) for their feedback. The importance of this feedback cannot be understated. It has allowed us to refine our processes and enhance our expert selection, creating one of the most detailed and responsive expert panels in the country.

Direct Benefits of Feedback

Here’s how your feedback directly benefits you and ensures high-quality expert opinions and an improved overall experience when working with medical experts.

• Improving Future Nominations - The detailed feedback we receive on the quality, relevance, and clarity of the expert’s evidence helps us ensure that we collaborate with the most competent professionals. When you and/or your Counsel endorse a particular expert, it reinforces our confidence in their ability to provide robust and clear testimony. This improves our future nominations not just for you but all our clients nationally.

• Tailoring Experts to Claims - Feedback allows us to tailor experienced expert nominations dependant on case complexity.
  Choosing the right expert can be make-or-break - The Article; Which Medico Legal Expert? explores what to look for and avoid.

• Elevating Expert Evidence Quality - We stop working with experts who “wilt during cross-examination” be that in conference or court.

• Improving Communication - Feedback ensures we work with experts who communicate clearly and provide timely updates, even when delays are unavoidable.
  If sourcing reliable experts is a challenge, you might find the article; How to Source High Calibre Expert Witnesses helpful.

• Shortening Claim Lifecycles - By collaborating with communicative, high-calibre experts, we expedite report delivery, speeding up the legal process and allowing claims to be concluded sooner - directly supporting our commitment to accelerating your claim lifecycle and reducing unrecoverable costs.

Collaborate. Elevate. Achieve.

In summary, our collaborative approach with clients sets the benchmark in communication, speed, and efficiency. This allows us to offer our clients marginal gains when instructing and managing expert witnesses, aligning with our commitment to accelerate your claim lifecycle and reduce unrecoverable costs.

By upholding and enhancing the INNEG way, I am excited to deliver the best possible service, continually surprise new clients and waiting for the magic words; “Wow! I didn’t realise you do so much."

To all our current clients who take the time to share their feedback, I wish to extend our heartfelt thanks for your continued partnership and support. Your contributions are instrumental in helping us deliver the best possible services, ultimately benefiting your clients and the legal outcomes they achieve.

About the Author

Vanessa, our Operations Manager at INNEG, is dedicated to streamlining processes and fostering strong client relationships. A natural leader, she inspires and empowers our team to achieve their best while ensuring seamless collaboration with solicitors. Her commitment to excellence and continuous improvement drives success across the board.

Contact Vanessa for any medico-legal matters at vdv@inneg.co.uk