2.  Pretrial Preparation

Tiger Woods is a great natural athlete. But he is probably the greatest golfer of all time not because of his natural gifts alone but because of the work ethic that he pairs with it. Similarly, no matter how good you are on your feet you will never be a great cross-examiner unless you work tirelessly to master all of the underlying facts and subject matter of the expertise of the witness.

 a.  Doing your homework

Today it is easier than ever to obtain knowledge thanks to the internet. Except for medical experts in medical malpractice actions in state court actions we are provided with the identity of the expert witness to be called by the opposition. The internet enables us to find out almost everything this person has done in a professional capacity including articles written and positions attained. The internet also provides us with countless options for educational materials on virtually any area of medicine, science or engineering and typically on multiple levels from basic to highly advanced. As trial lawyers we must take advantage of these tools to learn everything we can within the time frame we have for preparation so that we can adequately test the opinions of opposing experts. More…

1.  Introduction

Cross-examining an expert witness is one of the most challenging and exciting things we do as trial lawyers. Nothing is more rewarding than to sit down after an effective examination with the feeling that you have neutralized the opposing expert and by doing so greatly helped your case. But in order to obtain that level of satisfaction there is much work to do in preparation and developing an effective strategy.

In analyzing the challenge we must be honest with ourselves that no matter how smart we are or how much we study we are not going to be able to match the expert’s level of knowledge in his or her field of expertise. But that does not mean we are not going to try to educate ourselves to the maximum extent possible in the narrow area of medicine, engineering or whatever the specialty is regarding the relevant scientific topic.   For medical witnesses we can read all of the most relevant medical literature articles on the narrow area involved in the case as well as obtain background knowledge from textbooks to help us understand those articles. We also have our own experts to help us understand complex scientific topics. Using these resources we can prepare ourselves sufficiently to attack the weak points underpinning an expert’s opinion. More…

The American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC) has selected Elizabeth K. Zorn of Faraci Lange LLP as its 2010 Member of the Year.

Zorn, a legal nurse consultant at Faraci Lange, has been an AALNC member for more than 15 years and recently began a three-year term on its board of directors. In 2006, Zorn started the LNCExchange, a Yahoo Group for legal nurse consultants and other professionals who work in medical legal litigation. Today, the LNCExchange has more than 1,350 members nationwide and generates about 600 posts per month – serving as a unique networking and educational resource for legal nurse consultants across the country.

A recognized authority in her field, Elizabeth Zorn wrote a chapter about a legal nurse consultant’s role in a law firm for the AALNC core textbook, “Legal Nurse Consulting: Principles and Practice.” She also has contributed two modules to the organization’s online course and has published an article about the LNCExchange in the Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting.

A registered nurse, Elizabeth Zorn resides in the town of Victor, N.Y.

Katrina L. Connelly has joined the law firm of Faraci Lange LLP (www.faraci.com) as a marketing and administrative assistant.

In her new role, Connelly is involved in all aspects of the firm’s marketing efforts, including advertising, public relations and the Web site, and she assists in running the business operation. She previously served as a marketing and licensing coordinator at 4Kids Entertainment in New York City.

Connelly earned her bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is a resident of Brockport, N.Y.

The law firm of Faraci Lange LLP (www.faraci.com) announced today that Julie S. Jordan has joined the firm as an associate.

Jordan focuses her practice on medical malpractice, complex tort and toxic tort, premises liability, products liability and automotive negligence cases. She previously practiced as an associate in the litigation department at Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP.

Jordan is a member of the American Association for Justice, the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Monroe County and New York State Bar Associations, and the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys.

A cum laude graduate of Syracuse University College of Law, Jordan earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester. She is a resident of Farmington, N.Y.