Effective Preparation for Examining a Pathologist In a Homicide Case

Defending a case in which there has been a death necessitates (1) attention to detail and (2) an understanding of the procedures involved. While legendary lawyers have advocated that anyone defending homicide cases should have attended autopsies and become immersed in reading medico-legal literature, the reality is that it is the rare lawyer who does so. John Philipsborn describes what lawyers should read, collect, and prepare under optimal conditions. He includes a basic “first questions” list that lawyers should keep in mind as they begin to collect information.