When did you start proving expert opinion (medico-legal) reports and evidence and how did this come about?
I started in 1987 and was asked by a physiotherapist to help with an accident report where there had been dental injuries. I have been involved in Expert Witness work ever since.
In my role as a lecturer, I have to keep up to date with all aspects of dental science which helps when doing a report that relies on current scientific literature. This, coupled with my knowledge and reputation in the industry puts me in a unique position to offer services as an expert witness and makes me suitably informed to look at aspects of specialist and general practice in legal cases.
What type of expert witness services do you provide and to which type of client?
T Legal is a specialised medico-legal panel focusing on providing expert witness services in dentistry. We cater to the growing need for dental experts in litigation cases, including personal injury, accidents involving teeth or jaws, and clinical negligence.
We have a panel of experienced general dental practitioners, dentists with Master’s degrees in their chosen field, Specialist Consultants and Professors in all areas of general and specialist dentistry and also on a nationwide basis so continuity is guaranteed.
What are some of the common challenges you face when working with instructing solicitors and how do you overcome these challenges?
I think the biggest challenge when working with instructing solicitors is time. We are very busy as dentists and often do not get instructed until late in a case and then everything is a rush then to adhere to deadlines. We overcome these challenges by keeping the solicitors updated on timelines and making sure we let them know in advance if more time is needed or if we can not proceed with that timeframe.
Apart from quality and depth of knowledge, what do you consider the essential elements for an expert witness report?
Conciseness, changing jargon into ordinary English, providing alternative opinions to mine.
What is the most interesting case you have worked on?
I often get asked to work on severe accident cases involving multiple injuries of which dental is just one. As a Specialist in Prosthodontics as opposed to a general dentist, we often find more things wrong and then the quantum attained by the client is often much higher.
About Paul Tipton
Professor Paul Tipton gained his Master’s degree after two years of study at the Eastman Dental Hospital and London University, graduating with an MSc in Conservative Dentistry. Professor Tipton is an experienced Expert Witness with over 30 years acting as an Expert Witness. He is a founding member of the Academy of Expert Witnesses, a member of the Academy of Experts, the Expert Witness Institute, the Personal Injury Lawyers and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Professor Tipton is a Professor of Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry at the City of London Dental School, and a Specialist in Prosthodontics. He has been awarded specialist status by the GDC in 1999. He became President of the British Academy of Restorative Dentistry (BARD) in 2012 and appointed Professor in 2014. He is the clinical director of Tipton Training LTD, with academies in Manchester, London, Dubai, and Dublin, and he lectures worldwide on cosmetic and restorative dentistry and prosthodontics.
He is a fellow of the International Academy for Dental Facial Esthetics, International Congress of Oral Implanologists, Congress of Maxillofacial Prosthodontics, and former director of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (BACD) and British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry (BAAD). He is on the Editorial Board of Private Dentistry Magazine at the Journal of the Indian Prosthodontics Society.
Other than Dentistry, his interests are in sport, where he was previously a professional cricketer with Lancashire and Cheshire, his family, fine red wine, travel and cars.
Contact:
Becky at experts@tlegal.co.uk
Published by: www.lawyer-monthly.com - June 4th, 2024
