Generally, an expert witness is a professional or specialist with expertise in a specific field, discipline, or body of knowledge. He or she should have broad knowledge regarding a particular subject through years of education, training, experience, seminar, and certification. Their main goal is to give assistance in court proceedings by providing their factual and unbiased evaluation or analysis about what’s presented in info  to them. 

One such example of an expert witness is a plastic surgeon and plastic surgery consultant, such as Dr. Thomas Zaydon. 

When choosing an expert witness plastic surgeon – whether it be in Miami or anywhere in the USA – it’s important to choose carefully. In order to make a sound decision, it might perhaps help by asking some basic questions, like what is an expert witness plastic surgeon? What services do they provide? And where can you find them? 

This short blog post aims to answer these basic questions and in general shed some light on the role of expert witness plastic surgeons.

• What is an expert witness plastic surgeon?

An expert witness plastic surgeon – otherwise known as a plastic surgery expert witness – is a doctor who performs plastic surgery and who has been called to provide expert testimony (usually in a court of law) for a certain case. This can be in the form of live testimony, a recorded testimony, or sometimes can be in the form of a peer review. 

Expert witnesses are called upon by the court to provide an impartial and independent opinion on a particular element (in this case, plastic surgery) involved in a crime or lawsuit. Their opinion, referred to as “expert evidence” or “expert testimony”, will help the judge reach a decision or court ruling. 

For example, a plastic surgery consultant like Dr. Zaydon may be called by a judge or lawyer to evaluate the cost of reconstructive surgery needed by an individual injured in a motorcycle accident.

Because an expert witness should be exactly that – an expert – it’s strongly recommended that he/she has strong qualifications and experience in his/her field. This is addressed in the next point “who can be a plastic surgery expert witness?”

• Who can be a plastic surgery expert witness?

As mentioned above, it’s important that a plastic surgery expert witness has the necessary qualifications and experience to justify him/her being called “an expert”. Therefore, it’s common to expect that an expert witness has a Board Certification in his/her field. 

When it comes to plastic surgery, this is usually a Board Certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Another accredited organization is the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).

The doctor has to meet very high standards in order to obtain these certifications, which therefore helps to justify his/her position as an expert. Being a board-certified plastic surgeon in either of these organizations signifies expertise in a specific speciality or subspecialty in plastic surgery.

It’s also strongly recommended that the doctor has experience in the field. It stands to reason that the more years of experience a doctor has – and the more experience he/she has with the particular type of plastic surgery conditions in question – then the more respected the doctor’s opinion will be. This is of course extremely important when it comes to being cross-examined by the opposing attorney.

• What does an expert witness in plastic surgery do?

An expert witness’s primary goal is to assist the court on matters that fall under their area of expertise. They can do this by providing their objective and unbiased opinion, analysis, evaluation, or description. 

More importantly, expert witnesses should be impartial towards the party paying their fee. Some of the more specific duties and responsibilities of an expert witness are as follows:

• Providing an expert testimony or report that’s thoroughly assessed based on facts and technical reasoning. The expert opinion should only be in accordance with the instructions given to the expert witness by the Court.
• Giving evidence or testimony that’s complete in coverage of relevant matters, including new information that may hurt the case of the client paying them. 
• Give testimonies and opinions on facts within the scope of their expertise. The expert witness should state if the questions or statement is out of their area of expertise.
• Be familiar with the Civil Procedure Rules and the related Practice Direction as this will be essential in preparing their report. 
• Ensure that the Expert’s Report contains the information required by the Court Rules. It should also adhere to the rules and procedures required by the Court Rules.

Lastly, an expert witness should keep in mind that he/she has an overriding duty to the Court.

• Where can I find a good plastic surgery expert witness in Miami?

If you are looking for a good plastic surgery expert witness in Miami, then you may want to consider Dr. Thomas Zaydon.

Plastic Surgery Institute founder, Dr. Thomas J. Zaydon, M.D. F.A.C.S, has been rendering professional expert witness and plastic surgery services in the Miami, Florida area for over twenty years.

Dr. Zaydon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. He is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Zaydon earned his medical degree from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Graduating with special honors, he also served as Chief Resident in plastic surgery at the Louisiana State University. 

He is a noted author of numerous articles and chapters on various aspects of plastic surgery. Currently, Dr. Zaydon is chief of plastic surgery at Mercy Hospital in Miami, Florida.

His experience, certifications, and qualifications include:

• Certified by the American Board of Plastic & Surgery
• Member – American Society of Plastic Surgery
• Fellow – American College of Surgeons
• Southeastern Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
• Florida Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon; Former President Elect
• American College of International Physicians
• Medical Degree – Drexel Medical College
• Graduate Surgery Resident – Eastern Virginia State University
• Chief Resident Plastic Surgery – Louisiana State University

In addition to being an expert witness, Dr. Zaydon is also a qualified plastic surgery consultant certified to render different services, such as:

• Plastic surgery independent medical examination
• Plastic surgery peer reviews
• Workers compensation plastic surgeon
• Expert medical advisor

Contact us now to get in touch with Dr. Zaydon and learn more about his role as an expert witness plastic surgeon. You can also visit our website to learn more about the legal services and medical reconstructive treatments we offer at Plastic Surgery Institute of Miami.