Why Choose Us?

Medical Malpractice law requires specialized knowledge about the medical profession, outstanding discovery skills, and weighty testimony. At Nathan Smith Law we have the legal resources critical to success.  Nathan Smith Law is exclusively devoted to litigating medical malpractice cases.

Focus on the Key Issues. At Nathan Smith Law our lawyers focus in on the key issues of your particular case.  We do not use the scattergun approach for our clients.

Expert witnesses  Expert testimony is absolutely crucial to every medical malpractice case.  Through years of medical malpractice experience we have worked with many leading experts in specialized medical fields.

Depth of medical Legal experience. The lawyers at Nathan Smith Law have years of combined medical malpractice and professional negligence experience.  We have at our fingertips access to rehabilitation, speech language therapy, lifetime expectancy, and loss of future earning experts- all critical personnel in determining the extent of your losses.

Successful Judgments and Settlements. The lawyers at Nathan Smith Law have extensive experience in the area of medical malpractice.  The lawyers at Nathan Smith Law have had many judgments and settlements in excess of $1,000,000.  Only lawyers work on your case- from your first telephone call with us until the end of your case.There are no articled students, law students training to be lawyers, or paralegals handling your  sensitive and important medical malpractice litigation.

Referring lawyers and former clients   Most of our clients have been referred to us by word of mouth from former clients or other lawyers.  Some of these lawyers continue to be an active part of the litigation team in addition to the experienced team at Nathan Smith Law. 

Effective discovery.  Success often depends on discovery of crucial facts found in the reams of medical records and medical literature on your particular  medical problem.  Experienced lawyers, in-depth medical knowledge, and thorough preparation are the keys to a successful result for you.

Our Concern for you.  During your case, our lawyers are available to handle your questions.  After a successful award or settlement, we will offer guidance in dealing with the Public Guardian and Trustee who will be involved if the patient is a minor or unable to handle their affairs.

Key steps in a medical malpractice suit

When you contact us as a potential client:
When we are contacted by a potential client, we first consider whether the case is one in which we might be able to help. We take into consideration the severity of the injury and also when the alleged malpractice happened. Legal time limitations require cases to be started within a specific time. For an adult plaintiff in British Columbia, this can be as little as two years from the date of injury. There are some circumstances that can extend it up to six years. A child who is injured may have even longer. Because of the uncertainty, it is important that a person seek legal advice well within two years of the injury if that is possible. Acting too late may make it impossible to prepare and initiate a suit before time limits expire.

Review and analysis
Our next step is usually to review the relevant medical records. We may ask the prospective client to obtain the records and provide them to us for a preliminary opinion - or we may meet with the prospective client first, then obtain the records. At that point, depending on the area of medicine involved, we seek an appropriate medical expert for a preliminary opinion. In some areas of medicine, such as obstetrics, we may from our experience be able to identify issues ourselves from looking at the records and not consult experts until later.

Our fee agreement with you
If we believe there is a potential case, we enter into a retainer agreement with the client. If the case appears to have merit and sufficient potential damages, we are prepared to enter into a contingency fee agreement, under which our fee is a percentage of the amount eventually recovered. In addition to our fee, there are out-of-pocket expenses, such as filing fees charged by the court and, most significantly, the fees charged by expert witnesses. A lawyer will discuss with you the arrangements for the fees and out of pocket expenses.

Continue to review the Litigation Process