Medico-Legal Practice
Dr Michael Beckles started his medico-legal practice in 2002, and has produced reports for claimant, defendant, and joint instruction in approximate proportion of 50:30:20. He also has experience of giving evidence in Court.
He has extensive experience in the production of asbestos-related diseases, and has held clinics in Barrow-In-Furness and Newcastle, as well as London. In addition, Michael has considerable experience in preparing respiratory medico-legal reports for personal injury cases, but he does not do medical negligence cases.
Since he started his medico-legal practice, he has produced in excess of eleven hundred reports.
Dr Michael Beckles prefers to accept instructions with paper records, and the contact details and terms of conditions are available on request.
The usual waiting time for a report is four weeks from the date of consultation, but he is usually able to accommodate more pressing living mesothelioma reports. Sometimes, reports are produced on the basis of a review of the papers only (see below for the minimum requirements). Reports usually take between eight to eleven hours to produce.
The following is a list of the minimum requirements for medico-legal reports:
- Full General Practitioner’s records
- A full set of the hospital medical records
- CD ROM(s) of the relevant imaging (including passwords)
- Witness statements
If a report is based upon a consultation and examination, it is often the case that the individual will require an up-to-date chest radiograph (sometimes with more than one view), and lung function tests. There are additional costs for these investigations, and Michael’s Practice Manager will provide the exact details. In some circumstances, allergy skin prick tests are also required.
Michael has given talks on the preparation of asbestos cases for the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
He is a member of the Medico-Legal Society.