Lawsuit do's and don'ts
Do:
1. Contact your malpractice insurance carrier immediately.
2. Pick your attorney if you have the option.
3. Meet personally with your attorney.
4. Make sure the lawsuit has been answered by its deadline.
5. Continue practicing medicine as usual.
6. Be available and helpful to your attorney.
7. Teach your attorney the medical facts of the case.
8. Pay attention to settlement and mediation discussions.
9. Consider retaining your own counsel if you and your insurer can't agree on how to proceed.
10. Thoroughly prepare for the deposition.
Don't:
1. Speak to anyone about the case but your attorney.
2. Reach out to the plaintiff or his attorney.
3. Review the plaintiff's medical chart before consulting your attorney.
4. Alter the medical chart.
5. Attempt to answer the lawsuit yourself.
6. Tell your lawyer how to run the show.
7. Blindly accept the attorney's and the insurer's decisions.
8. Fail to take the lawsuit seriously.
9. Prepare halfheartedly.
Aubrey Westgate is an associate editor at Physicians Practice. She can be reached at aubrey.westgate@ubm.com.

