By David S. Roth

Interested in improving relations between doctors and lawyers? Having a dispute with a doctor in a case? Involved in medical negligence cases?

The Medical Legal Committee may offer the right medicine for you. The Medical Legal Committee is a joint committee physicians and lawyers from the King County Medical Society and the King County Bar Associations.

The purpose of the Committee is to help maintain and improve communication and relations between the medical and legal communities in King County. To that end, the Committee has published the Interprofessional Handbook, a guideline of recommended conduct for lawyers and doctors in civil litigation matters. Matters such as obtaining a paying for medical records and reports, medical conferences and depositions, and fees for medical experts are addressed. The Guidelines may be viewed in their entirety at kcba.org.

This little-known Committee also hears disputes between attorneys and physicians, and recommends nonbinding resolutions, where either the attorney of the doctor whose conduct is disputed practices in King County.

The Committee also provides a Professional Liability Panel for KCBA members with clients having medical malpractice claims against King County physicians. Consisting of five physician members and two co-chair persons--a physician and an attorney, the panel will hear medical negligence claims. After an abbreviated hearing, the Panel will render a written opinion delineating whether the evidence presented establishes a deviation from applicable standards of care. There is no charge to participating attorneys or their clients.