Mild Traumatic Brain Injury 2014

MTBI cases can raise complex issues of injury assessment and proof—be prepared!

Rebroadcast
"Jump Start on CPD 2015": Friday, March 27, 2015; Time: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

(Original course: Friday, November 28, 2014)

Who should attend: Personal injury litigators, both plaintiff and defence counsel.

Learning level: Intermediate/Advanced

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) is a complex and sometimes poorly understood injury. There is a host of physical, sensory, and cognitive symptoms that can manifest themselves, from immediately after an accident to months later.   MTBI is an injury that can profoundly affect an injured party, while at the same time create challenges for both medical professionals and litigation counsel. Valuable for both plaintiff and defence lawyers, this comprehensive program will examine the medical and legal issues surrounding the collection, assessment, and tendering of evidence surrounding mild traumatic brain injury. You will benefit from the practical experience of our high level team of medical experts and senior counsel.

At this course you will learn about...

• the current state of brain injury litigation: the medical and legal issues
• the medical disciplines involved with assessing brain injury
• best practices for lawyers working with brain injury medical experts
• the big picture medical/legal assessment which ultimately frames an MTBI claim
• effective strategies to resolve brain injury cases before trial

Law Society of BC CPD Hours: 6 hours (a minimum of 1 hour will involve aspects of professional responsibility and ethics, client care and relations, and/or practice management)

Course Chair
Robert C. Brun, QC — Harris & Brun, Vancouver

Featured Speaker
The Honourable Lance S.G. Finch — Associate Counsel, Guild Yule LLP, Vancouver

Pricing
Rebroadcast
"Jump Start on CPD 2015"
EARLY BIRD (Register by February 27, 2015 and SAVE): $405
After February 27, 2015: $450

CLEBC Program Lawyer
Raymond Lee
rlee@cle.bc.ca

Course Chair
Robert C. Brun, QC — Harris & Brun, Vancouver

About the Course Chair
 Robert C. Brun, QC was called to the bar in 1978. He has a special interest in personal injury and workers’ compensation law, and is also experienced in the fields of insurance and administrative law. Before joining Harris & Brun as a founding partner in 1984, Robert practiced for five years with the Workers’ Compensation Board of BC.

Robert is a knowledgeable and experienced practitioner in the field of workers’ compensation as it relates to auto-accident injuries. He is a skilled trial lawyer who has conducted many trials and appeals in the BC Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. Robert is a frequent guest lecturer at seminars for lawyers put on by CLEBC, the Canadian Bar Association, and the Trial Lawyers Association of BC.

Robert has served his profession as a President of CBABC in 2003–2004 and three terms as a Bencher of the Law Society of BC between 2005 and 2011. He has also served as a member of the Justice Review Task Force and the CBA National Task Force on Conflicts of Interest. In March 2010 Robert was elected to the position of Second Vice-President of the national Canadian Bar Association, and served as President in 2012–2013.

Featured Speaker
The Honourable Lance S.G. Finch — Associate Counsel, Guild Yule LLP, Vancouver

About the Featured Speaker
 The Honourable Lance S.G. Finch (bio to come) 

Faculty
The Honourable Mr. Justice Gary P. Weatherill — Supreme Court of BC, New Westminster
The Honourable Marion J. Allan — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Robert C. Brun, QC — Harris & Brun, Vancouver
Dr. Jason Clement — Department of Radiology, St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver
Dr. Rehan Dost — Neurologist in Private Practice, Independent Medical Assessor, IMA Solutions, Paris, ON
Joseph E. Murphy, QC — Murphy Battista LLP, Vancouver
Dr. Colleen Quee Newell, RPsych — Vocational Pacific Ltd., Vancouver
Dr. Roy J. O’Shaughnessy — Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of BC, Vancouver
Alan Schapiro — Settled by Schapiro Mediations, Vancouver
Michael G. Thomas — Harper Grey LLP, Vancouver
Dr. Hendre Viljoen, RPsych — Director, HeadWise Rehabilitation, Surrey

Welcome and Introduction

Robert C. Brun, QC — Harris & Brun, Vancouver

Brain Injury Assessment: A Big Grey Area

• medical uncertainty
• legal uncertainty

Moderator: Robert C. Brun, QC — Harris & Brun, Vancouver
The Honourable Mr. Justice Gary P. Weatherill — Supreme Court of BC, New Westminster

Neuroradiology of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

• techniques and advances in neuroradiology for MTBI 
• what neuroradiology tells us about MTBI
• limitations of neuroradiology for your client

Dr. Jason Clement — Department of Radiology, St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver

Networking Break

Neurological Assessment of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

• what is neurological assessment
• what a neurological assessment can reveal about MTBI
• the limits of neurological assessment

Dr. Rehan Dost — Neurologist in Private Practice, Independent Medical Assessor, IMA Solutions, Paris, ON

Neuro-Psychological Assessment of MTBI

• the basics of assessment
• the limits of assessment
• recent developments

Dr. Hendre Viljoen, RPsych — Director, HeadWise Rehabilitation, Surrey

Forensic Psychiatric Assessment of MTBI

• DSM5 and the basics of assessment
• psychiatry and its relationship to other assessment modalities
• inherent limitations, bad science, and other pitfalls

Dr. Roy J. O’Shaughnessy — Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of BC, Vancouver

Lunch with Featured Speaker: “The View from the Bench and Beyond”

The Honourable Lance S.G. Finch — Associate Counsel, Guild Yule LLP, Vancouver

Vocational Assessments of Clients with Traumatic Brain Injury

• vocational assessment goals and processes
• common vocational barriers faced by clients with TBI
• vocational rehabilitation recommendations for clients with TBI

Dr. Colleen Quee Newell, RPsych — Vocational Pacific Ltd., Vancouver

Working with Medical Experts on Mild Traumtic Brain Injury Cases

MTBI cases raise special issues that require interaction between experts and counsel.

• what are these areas
• why is it important to have counsel involved with the medical experts
• what special issues are involved with treating physicians
• what are the ethical, professional, and legal obligations governing this interaction

Michael G. Thomas — Harper Grey LLP, Vancouver

Networking Break

The Current State of Brain Injury Litigation

• medical knowledge and understanding of traumatic brain injury
• the presentation of a traumatic brain injury case
• judicial judgments and trends

Joseph E. Murphy, QC — Murphy Battista LLP, Vancouver

Resolving Brain Injury Cases

• strategy and tactics
• best practices
• pitfalls

The Honourable Marion J. Allan — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Alan Schapiro — Settled by Schapiro Mediations, Vancouver

Concluding Remarks