Legal Medicine

ADVANTAGE REPRESENTATIVES (based in Los Angeles, CA) assists plaintiff personal injury attorneys by providing reliable, experienced forensic observers to accompany clients (as attorney's representative) during their Independent / Defense Medical Examination. Our primary function is to uphold limitations (per Response to Demand), audio record, document and evaluate the IME/DME. We are also available for expert witness testimony at deposition, arbitration or trial.

Specifically requested by hundreds of personal injury lawyers, Dr. Magarian is readily familiar with many local orthopedic and neurologic defense experts and can thereby provide valuable insight about their particular style and technique.

Since 1988, Dr. Magarian's gracious and professional demeanor, along with discerning and experienced attention to detail, have ranked her as the most sought-after independent observers in Southern California.

Areas of Specialization:

Motor Vehicle (Auto/Motorcycle/Bus) Accidents

Bicycle & Pedestrian Accidents

Slip/Trip & Fall Injuries

Dog Bite & Burn Injuries

Train/Boat/Plane Accidents

Med Malpractice

Board certified Emergency Physician and experienced teacher/public speaker offers consultation, chart review, and testimony as an expert witness for plaintiff or defense involving litigation arising from the Emergency Department.

California Office 15662 Orchard Way Kerman, CA 93630

Utah Office 186 Cove Road Saratoga Springs, UT 84045

Joahnna Songer Budge RN, CCRN, CLNC (formerly Songer) is co-founder and lead Legal Nurse Consultant with Evans Songer & Valdivia, Legal Nurse Consultants. Ms. Songer Budge has 22 years of Critical Care, Emergency / Trauma, Recovery Room, and Cardiac-Cardiovascular Surgery nursing practice at multiple university teaching hospitals, regional medical centers and level-one trauma centers. She is a specialist on CODE BLUE Issues and Procedure.

Ms. Songer Budge actively practices in the hospital setting in Critical Care, Emergency Nursing, Recovery Room/PACU and trauma neuro critical care. She has extensive knowledge and experience in the health care environment. She has more than 20 years of experience as both an Expert Witness & Medical-Legal Consulting Expert, reviewing medical records for case merit, case development and trial preparation.

Services Offered:

• Critical Care / Intensive Care
• Emergency Nursing
• Case Screening for Merit: Screen and investigate medical-legal cases for merit; define the applicable standards of care; identify deviations from and adherences to hospital, state and nationally-accepted standards of care
• Organize, analyze, summarize and interpret relevant medical records
• Identify and request additional documents and tangible items relevant to the case
• Research medical literature relevant to the case
• Develop comprehensive case evaluations and reports for the attorney's study and case development
• Identify and recommend potential defendants and witnesses
• Assess alleged damages / injuries: Identify causative or contributing factors to the alleged damages/injuries
• Review and analyze Expert Witness reports and testimony
• Consult with health care providers
• Attend depositions, trials, arbitration and mediation hearingsReview, analyze and summarize testimony, including past testimony
• Prepare interrogatories, health care-related questions
• Assist with medical / health care demonstrative evidence preparation
• Attend IME sessions / IME reports
  
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Carlos Torres, M.D. provides Expert Witness Services in the areas of Gastrointestinal/Liver Pathology and Tumor (cancer) Pathology.

For 11 yrs, Dr. Torres was the Director of Quality Assurance at Miraca Life Sciences. Was an active participant in clinical research projects, Medical Advisory Committee, and supported the pathology team through daily high-volume case sign-out, participated at the peer review consensus conference and provided numerous intradepartmental consults.

Dr. Torres was instrumental in helping start a rather unique model of GI subspecialty-focused anatomic pathology laboratory. Dr. Torres contributed to the success and growth of the operation, with the principle of providing the highest standards of patient care and service to GI clinicians. Now Dr. Torres has an independent practice called "Expert Pathology Consultation Services".

1. Former Assistant Professor and Director, Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology: Hermann Hosp/UTHSC.

2. Gastrointestinal Pathology Fellowship: Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

3. Surgical Pathology Fellowship: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 4. Anatomic Pathology Residency: Barnes Hospital/Washington University.

Lois Hawkins, RN, CLCP of Hawkins Forensic Consulting, Inc, specializes in Medical and Vocational Damage Assessment in personal injury and catastrophic injury cases throughout the United States. For over 10 years, Ms. Hawkins has been evaluating cases involving children and adults with complex, catastrophic injuries, as well as less serious injuries.

Areas of Expertise:

• Catastrophic Medical Case Management - Traumatic Brain Injury, Acquired Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Amputation, Soft Tissue Injury, Chronic Pain, Burns, Cerebral Palsy & Developmental Delay, Chronic Respiratory Conditions, Visual & Hearing Impaired
• Life Care Planning - Comprehensive Record Review and supportive documentation / Case Analysis, Case Summary Chronology, Clinical Interview and History with Patient, Medical-Legal Research, Assessment of Future Medical / Rehabilitation Needs
• Legal Nurse Consulting

Professional Memberships and Associations
International Academy of Life Care Planners (IALCP) - Present
International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP) - Present
American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC) - Past
American Operating Room Nurse (AORN ) - Past

Mary C. Meinhard RN-BC, BS, JD, CLCP, MSC-C is a Nurse Attorney/ Legal Nurse Consultant, Certified Life Care Planner, Board-Certified Nurse Case Manager, and Medicare Set-Aside Consultant-Certified. She has offices in California and Nevada, and provides Medical/Legal Consulting services nationwide. She has over 35 years of experience working with catastrophically injured patients/clients as a Registered Nurse, in addition to 20+ years of experience as a California Attorney, and is retained by both Plaintiff and Defense as a consultant in Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice and Workers' Compensation cases.

Representative diagnoses include, but are not limited to:

Traumatic Brain Injury Acquired Brain Injury Spinal Cord Injuries / Paralysis Severe Burns Amputations Orthopedic Injuries Complications of Pregnancy, Premature Births and Birth Injuries Complications of Diabetes Chronic Pain / Illness

Organ Transplants Chronic Renal Failure End Stage Renal Disease AIDS Non-Healing Wounds Malignancies Toxic Exposure Mental Illness Addiction

Services Include:

• Legal Nurse Consulting
• Medical Record Review / Summary
• Case Merit Evaluation/Standards of Care
• Life Care Planning
• Mini / Preliminary Life Plans
• Medicare Set-Aside Allocations
• Expert Fact and Opinion Testimony
• Attendance at Independent Medical Exams
• Litigation Support - Formulation of Discovery Plans, Preparation of Deposition/Cross Examination Questions, Conducting Medical Expert/Opposing Life Care Planner Depositions

Ms. Meinhard also holds certification from the Pepperdine University School of Law Straus Institute for Alternative Dispute Resolution and is available as a Mediator for personal injury cases of all types - especially when competing Life Care Plans are at issue.

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Medical Review Consulting, LLC (MRC) has been a complete and comprehensive resource for Medical-Related Litigation for over a decade. MRC has assisted attorneys in developing powerful strategies and yielding successful outcomes by evaluating, coordinating, and developing the complex issues of medical cases. MRC has the ability to consistently and cost-effectively provide value to a case.

For the plaintiff attorney, MRC's expedites case fact review saving thousands improving case selection. Defense teams value MRC’s ability to find the hidden and small details that help defend their cases.

Expert Location has become one of MRC’s most requested services. Clients turn to MRC time and time again seeking additional experts. The advantage of this services is access to thousands of board certified physicians and nurses in every area of practice. They locate experts in all areas of the medical profession. If they do not find an expert with the credentials specified – there is no fee incurred.

Medical Review Consulting, LLC operates under the direction of Gina I. Rogers, RN, BSN, LNCC. Ms. Rogers is an experienced medical professional and has worked as a legal nurse consultant to 100’s of law firms for over a decade reviewing thousands of cases. She earned the esteemed credential “LNCC” which is a Legal Nurse Consultant Certified that is awarded by the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants. There are less than 1,000 nurses with this distinct honor in the country.

With over a decade spent working in a healthcare facility, Ms. Rogers had held a wide variety of nursing positions. With her healthcare background, MRC can save valuable time and frustration going through the difficult medical issues and simplify the facts and difficult medical terms allowing attorneys to focus on the legal side of the case. Ms. Rogers is a national speaker and has mentored thousands of nurses around the country on legal nurse consulting issues.

Most Requested Services: Expert Witness Location Timelines / Chronologies Review for Merit Missing Records Organizing the Records Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses Overall Case Coordination

Types of Cases: Medical Malpractice Personal Injury Nursing Home Social Security Disability Insurance Defense Criminal Cases Class Action Litigation

Ms. Roughan is a Rehabilitation Nurse Specialist who functions in the capacity of case manager, life care planner and expert witness. Her company, Roughan & Associates at LINC, is a nationally recognized Case Management and Medical/Legal Consulting service. It has been in existence since 1987, providing coordination of patient care; construction of Life Care Plans; and, consultative services to both the defense and plaintiff bar on simple and complex cases alike. Ms. Roughan has experience with diagnoses involving both children and adults and are knowledgeable in current treatment philosophies, identification of appropriate resources.

Diagnoses include, but are not limited to:

Neurological Injuries (Brain and Spinal Cord Injury)

Burns

Orthopedic Injures

Amputation

Chronic Pain

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Services Include:

Expert Testimony

Life Care Planning

Mini/Preliminary Life Care Plan

Video Services

Medical Record Review

RN Independent Medical Exam

Medicare Set Aside Trust Analysis

Medical Bill Auditing

Questions: Deposition Cross Examining

Thomson Reuters Expert Witness Services' healthcare and personal injury division features a team of experts - physicians, healthcare administrators, reimbursement specialists, health organization experts, health insurance experts, and other healthcare personnel - with broad, extensive experience and expertise in medical and administrative malpractice issues, physician practice operations, hospital management, health insurance and TPA issues, Medicare and Medicaid, medical billing and collections, fraud and abuse, managed care and other areas.

Our Healthcare Specialists are experienced healthcare experts who consult on litigation issues and testify as needed. Thomson Reuters Expert Witness Services utilizes a team of individuals with specific expertise and areas of knowledge, to fully serve the needs of the legal community.

Areas of Expertise:

Audit Medical Standards of Care Dental Standards of Care Geriatrics and Nursing Home Care Standards Long Term Care Standards Health Insurance Health Insurer-Provider Relations Managed Healthcare (HMO, PPO)

TPA (Third Party Administrator) National Accreditation Guidelines Medicare / Medicaid Federal Employees Health Benefits Program CDH (Consumer Driven Health Plans) ERISA, COBRA, EMTALA, HIPAA Physician / Hospital Joint Ventures Qui Tam and False Claims Act

Representing Both Plaintiff and Defense, Our Services Include:

• Review Case for Merit
• Analyze Medical and Administrative Events
• Identify Causation
• Address Standards of Care
• Research Relevant Literature
• Interpret Contracts in Light of Industry Standards
• Evaluate Case Strengths and Weaknesses
• Develop Deposition Strategy
• Prepare a Defensible Report
• Articulate Complex Issues to Triers of Fact

Christina Sanders, MSN, RN, NP brings 14 years of clinical nursing experience to Vera Juris. She leads the firm's activities and is responsible for managing all client casework regarding Medical-Legal Consulting, Life Care Planning and Legal Nurse Consulting. Ms. Sanders is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as an adult nurse practitioner.

Christina Sanders has been a registered nurse since 1998 and has worked as a nurse practitioner for more than 12 years. She started her nursing career in the emergency department at Johns Hopkins Hospital. After completing her masters degree, she began practicing as an adult nurse practitioner specializing in cardiology. Clinical areas of interest include coronary artery disease (CAD), angina, atrial fibrillation, hypertension (HTN), heart attack (MI), stroke, cholesterol, obesity and cardiac stress testing.

Ms. Sanders started her independent legal nurse consulting firm in 2007. Her practice includes both plaintiff and defense cases and she is a testifying expert for cases involving nurse practitioners. Christina has been a member of the San Diego chapter of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC) since 2006 and has served on the chapter's board since 2009.