From our first contacts and over a period of more than two years, we received extraordinary…read moreattention, compassion, integrity, and professional excellence. Although we certainly suspected a six-month delay in diagnosis, medical error in a cancer diagnosis resulted in a potential case, the firm was helpful through a number of conversations (both email and face-to-face) in helping us understand the complexities of such cases and in carefully examining hundreds of pages of medical records and information.
My wife and I are both educators with advanced degrees. Research is second-nature to us. So, before we ever contacted the Johnson, Vorhees, and Martucci law firm (Joplin, Missouri), we researched firms in Joplin, Springfield, and Kansas City. When looked for those with proven success in malpractice cases and those with the highest ratings for ethical excellence by clients and with other attorneys. Based on that research, the first place we decided to contact was Johnson, Vorhees, and Martucci.
We may be unusual in being concerned about the ethics of bringing a lawsuit against medical doctors. The question, "Can we sue?" needed to first ask the question, "Should we sue?" Roger Johnson and others were tremendously helpful and took the time to both research our case and then dialogue with us about what went wrong (on the medical side), Missouri laws and limits related to medical malpractice, and advised us what our options were. Never did we feel pressured and never did we doubt that we were being treated with genuine human compassion, absolute honesty, and solid legal expertise.
Once we elected to pursue the case, Roger Johnson and others are the firm were absolutely committed to prevail. Throughout the whole process, which ultimately led to a trial (most malpractice cases are settled without a trial), we were kept thoroughly informed and the decisions were left in our hands. We were not pressured to settle or not to settle. As we came the possibility of an actual trial, the potential risks and possible outcomes were made clear to us. The decisions remained ours. If we decided to refuse the settlement that we offered, they would take us through a trial. If we had decided to settle before a trial, that was our choice.
We would also want to add that, in the case of a trial (something most people manage to avoid), you should want attornies that are experienced in the courtroom and in presenting cases before juries. Many malpractice cases that go to trial result in juries that side with the doctors. In part, this is because many people think that lawsuits are too common and they want to believe physicians always deserve the benefit of the doubt.
We realize anyone reading this review is going to already presume we won the lawsuit. We did. But, whether you believe it or not, our appreciation of Roger Johnson, Erin Vorhees, and the others at the firm would be exactly the same, even if the jury had sided with the doctors.
If you live in Missouri and find you need an attorney related to a medical situation, this is the first place you ought to go for legal help and genuine compassion.
