The potential for legal matters to take a negative turn for a dental practice is relatively small, but the fact that the risk exists means no dentist or their dental practice can leave themselves exposed legally. Whilst professionalism and stellar service are prerequisites, even they cannot prevent a patient from taking it upon themselves to take legal action, and if you are the dentist in the firing line, or your dental practice is, that can cause untold amounts of stress and upheaval.

In addition, apart from the angst of defending yourself in court should you be required to, if you lose a legal case it can do extreme damage, not only to your dental practice’s finances, but more seriously it can damage the practice’s and your reputation. These could arguably be regarded as even more serious given that they can lead to patients deciding to leave and no new patients willing to replace them.

Before we send you into a panic worrying about the ifs and buts of legal action being taken against you or your dental practice, you should know that they are rare events. Further, and the even better news is, in most instances, having the correct legal advice and representation can prevent any risk of you having to spend time defending yourself in a court case.

That legal representation will usually be a lawyer and given their importance in the most extreme case in ensuring the continuance of your dental practice, this is a scenario where your choice is probably more important than any other you might make concerning your business.

We say that, not in any sense of exaggeration, because they literally could be the difference between your dental practice existing, and it going out of business due to losing a drawn-out legal case where someone sues you, they win, and they are awarded compensation or damages that destroy the financial viability of your dental practice.

We are sure the many dentists who have been defended by their lawyer, both before and during a legal case, and where that lawyer has been able to prove that there was no case to answer or that the reason for the case being raised was erroneous, will vouch that what we have just described is accurate. Doubtless, they are delighted that they chose the lawyer they did, so we thought it would be useful to provide three steps for dentists to ensure you choose the correct lawyer.

Ask For Referrals From Other Medical Professionals

This is a recommendation that can apply in just about every scenario you can think of when you wish to make an important choice, whether it is a  personal or a business one. Asking other medical professionals whose opinions you respect and trust about the lawyers they currently use or have used previously can eliminate any concerns you might have about any lawyer you are considering.

Carefully Assess Their Track Record Representing Dental Practices

An essential consideration when looking for a suitable lawyer to represent you and your dental practice is a lawyer’s track record. This is not so much an exercise in their win-to-loss ratio, although it should be noted, but rather their reputation for representing medical professionals, and in particular dentists.

Have A 1-2-1 Meeting Before Making Your Final Decision

The relationship between a client and a lawyer is a unique one, and that is especially so when the client is a business. This is why we highly recommend that you arrange an initial meeting with any of the lawyers on your shortlist. This is used to explain your needs to them and more importantly gauge whether you feel they are a lawyer you have confidence in and feel comfortable with them representing your dental practice.