An Expert Witness in the Field of Orthopaedics
Since RSW Medico-Legal Ltd inception, Richard Scott-Watson has worked in his own medico-practice providing reports for solicitors and instance companies in relation to personal injury and employment tribunals (Equality Act). Throughout his career, he has also been recognised numerous times for his extraordinary work, receiving accolades such as Best Expert Witness Service Provider 2019 – SME News and also the 2018 AI Global Excellence Award where he was selected as the Most Trusted Orthopaedic Expert Witness – UK.
Having provided this service for almost 30 years, Richard has produced over 23,000 reports which vary from cases that are fairly straightforward, to complex injuries and arguments about disability and discrimination in the workplace in relation to disability.
For Richard, he believes that one of the most important feature of client service is to be direct contract with the instructor. There are many solicitors who run through agencies and this does a number of things, as Richard beings to explain.
“Firstly, it creates a barrier creating unnecessary delays but also meaning that any problems that might arise with a report get ‘interpreted’ by the middleman, which invariably makes the situation worse. As, no matter who is at fault (and it is commonly the agency), the Expert always gets the blame. Working directly with clients prevents this. In addition to this, the agencies also typically take about 50% of the fee, meaning the report that the client gets is of considerably lower value than they think (done in less time, with less detail).”
“In my opinion, there are limited experts in this field who are qualified to comment on this important aspect, but all do because it is an important aspect of the case.”
As for fellow competitors, there are countless experts in orthopaedic injuries and many who are doing excellent clinical work and contributing to the sector. However, this does not class them as experts. When discussing the competitors Richard faces in the industry, he is keen to highlight the limited number of experts in the field who contribute to reports about what is acceptable in the home and the work place regarding disability.
“A major aspect of many reports is disability in relation to what is reasonable in the home and the work place. In my opinion, there are limited experts in this field who are qualified to comment on this important aspect, but all do because it is an important aspect of the case.”
Looking ahead to what the future holds for the firm, Richard believes the process moving forward is one of constant improvement in turnaround time and reducing amendments. Bringing the interview to a close, Richard signs off by revealing how he believes there are ways to improve the compensation system.
“Overall, we are constantly trying to finds ways of improving systems to ensure that those who reasonably deserve compensation do get it, and those that do not fail. There is no question that there are a lot of false claims out there, either exaggerated or completely fabricated. Unfortunately, the adversarial system is not the best way to sort this out as claimant solicitors always want to inflate a claim and defendant solicitors always wanting to minimise it. However, I am certain that we could find a better system.”
Contact: Carol Couzens
Email: carolcouzens@ymail.com
Company: RSW Medico-Legal Ltd
Telephone: +44 138 644 1126
