Personal Injury Lawyers and Medical Practitioners working together

It’s prudent and vital for personal injury lawyers to foster a close relationship with respected and knowledgeable medical and rehabilitation professionals within their community. Health care professionals have, of course, the necessary clinical knowledge to properly assess and treat injured persons. With respect to injury claims, the skills of a  personal injury lawyer and medical expert complement one another and can effectively be applied to most accurately determine the full impact, medical and financial, of an injury on an accident victim’s life.

Because the civil legal process has become more complex particularly in the past ten years, a higher level of sophistication is demanded from medical experts, in terms of their analysis, methodology and documentation of injury (“When Litigation & Rehabilitation Converge” by James Campbell, March 2016).   Further, a lawyer and health care practitioner share a common interest in facilitating the best and appropriate treatment for their clients as well as an optimal recovery.

A notable change in the legal proceedings for injury claims in the past few decades, according to Campbell, is that automobile insurance companies and long-term disability insurers increasingly and rely heavily on the wording of their policies, rather than on the spirit.  This has meant that the evidentiary burden and level of expertise in proving personal injury claims has also never been higher.

The proceedings and regulations governing insurance claims and disputes is increasingly in flux, with frequent changes to insurance legislation (including deductibles and no fault insurance benefits) as well as changes to the procedures and statutes governing access to accident benefits.  Personal injury lawyers are tasked with being well-informed of any changes, such as those effecting insurance deductibles and no-fault benefits.  The most recent of these changes is the amendment to statutory accident benefits taking effect on June 1^st, 2016, in which the most notable change entails a substantial reduction in the maximum medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefit available for both catastrophically impaired accident victims and victims who sustain non-minor injuries.  

Injured persons and personal injury lawyers are not the only ones impacted by the changes to insurance legislation and legal procedures.  Rehabilitation practitioners must understand and conform to all amended rules that may impact their assessments, such as the minor injury and catastrophic impairment guidelines.  

As long as individuals continue to become injured in motor vehicle collisions and other types of accidents, personal injury lawyers and rehabilitation experts need to continue to collaborate to help injured persons regain their health to the greatest extent possible, a goal which is generally contingent upon getting the best and most appropriate medical care.

The members of Personal Injury Lawyers of Ontario (ILO group), uniquely provide highly respected and well-experienced staff with deep roots in their community and strong relationships with local medical experts.  Our exceptional connection with doctors, therapists and other health care professionals facilitates building a strong case substantiated by convincing and accurate medical evidence and also, it allows us to work proactively in meeting the needs of our injured clients, from initial consultation until favourable resolution of a claim.