Thanks Sandy. I was always a passionate sort, and yes, I love and understand 
science deeply. I was extremely fortunate in that the high school I attended 
actually had 4 years of courses in Microbiology – an entirely unique programme 
for that level of education. I had a wonderful Microbiology teacher with whom I 
still remain in contact, and I met so many of my still-current friends in the 
“Micro lab”. We used to hang around there after school, to work on microbiology 
projects. I met my husband there.

Many of my “Micro” friends went on to take Sciences and Microbiology in 
University, as did my husband and I, since we were so inspired by the subject 
in high school. After spending a decade working in hospital labs, my big mouth 
caused me to decide to go into law, since I was already the spokesperson for my 
coworkers and sat on a number of hospital committees. Now, I like to believe 
that my combination of medicine and law makes me (and my husband) a serious 
threat in medical malpractice actions. I can’t tell you the number of times a 
doctor has given me a nonsensical answer in a discovery (equal to an American 
deposition) and I have been able to fire back because I understand EXACTLY what 
he has just said and that it is a ridiculous answer. Normally, medical 
gobblydegook sounds sophisticated and most of the time, doctors can get away 
saying stuff by dressing it up with medical terminology. Doesn’t work with me.

Amani

From: Felvtalk [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Sandy
Sent: October-06-16 5:07 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] FW: Felvtalk Digest, Vol 30, Issue 10

OH MY GOSH! Amani - I look at the science background you present - I believe I 
can feel your passion for the scientific workings - which if I'm not mistaken 
is what your original profession arena is based upon.  I look at the "lawyer" 
part of you as having the ability to use proper wording and presentation to get 
points across with the least amount of excess wording that muddies the water.

Thank you for your willingness to share

Sandy W

________________________________
From: "Amani Oakley" <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, October 6, 2016 4:48:05 PM
Subject: [Felvtalk] FW:  Felvtalk Digest, Vol 30, Issue 10

I would be happy to give an inside look at the life of a lawyer, since few 
people have any idea what we do or how we do it.

I feel the need to explain that, first, it is not true that every medication is 
the basis of a lawsuit. Second,  no lawyer would ever bring such litigation 
forward without some very very solid evidence of problems with the medicine 
because - and I don’t think you are seeing this - IT IS THE LAWYER WHO HAS TO 
PAY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF HIS/HER OWN MONEY to fund the litigation. Would 
YOU bet $100,000 or $200,000 or $500,000 of your own money (NOT counting 
thousands and thousands of hours of unpaid work), if you weren’t convinced 
there was sufficient and strong enough evidence to win a case? These cases run 
for a minimum of 5-7 years, so would you pour in hours and hours of unpaid 
time, PLUS hundreds of thousands of dollars of your own money, on something 
with no basis in fact???

I seriously doubt it. I also don’t know of any other profession where you are 
expected to put such significant sums of your own money and your own unpaid 
time on the line, for the sake of a client's case, and to run the case for 
years and years - unpaid - for the chance to perhaps win in court. The court 
battle is always tilted in favour of the big guys (corporate entities, doctors' 
professional protection associations, insurance companies). They have unlimited 
resources, teams of lawyers, etc., etc. My firm is just me and my husband.

In medical malpractice actions in Canada, I can tell you that the statistics 
are that for every 10 medical malpractice actions that actually make it into 
the court room (many are dismissed on technicalities), NINE are decided in 
favour of the doctors. Moreover, in Canada, the doctors don’t pay ANYTHING for 
their defence - it is covered by government rebates to the physicians for 85% 
of their insurance premiums. And the news is even worse than that. For the one 
in ten cases that are actually won by an injured patient, the doctor will 
invariably appeal and most of the cases where a patient wins, are reversed on 
appeal anyway, so the patient who is successful in trial almost always loses at 
appeal.

ALL OF THAT MONEY, to fund the litigation, hire the necessary experts, bring 
the required motions to court, etc., is underwritten by the medical malpractice 
lawyer.

Your enemy is NOT the trial lawyer. You have been fed a bill of goods by 
insurance companies. Look into it in any detail and you will see what I mean.

Now, may I please ask everyone to please leave my current profession out of 
this. I am happy to share my information and experience with everyone, and 
believe I have been quite generous in doing so. What started all this was a 
suggestion that the reason my vets give me Winstrol is because they are scared 
of me as a lawyer. I do not believe that to be true, and you should ask 
yourself if you are paying attention to my suggestions because I am a lawyer. 
Since I am pretty sure that is not the reason, then I would ask that you 
recognize that my vets also have been good enough to listen to me because I am 
quite up-to-speed on science and medicine, and can interpret blood work like 
nobody's business. Additionally, I think Margo's observation is bang on: if 
vets were afraid I would sue them, they would never ever try something 
"off-label" or experimental with me. As Margo suggested, anyone afraid of 
litigation will do everything "by the book". Moreover, as I have pointed out, I 
have developed my relationship with my vets for literally decades, and well 
before I became a lawyer. I frankly think they are far more impressed with my 
ability to speak with them at the same level when it comes to medical issues, 
then they are scared of me turning around and suing them. I do not have a 
relationship of fear with my vets.

Amani



-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> 
[mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: October-06-16 10:01 AM
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Cc: Amani Oakley
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 30, Issue 10

Just klook at the ads on tv.  every medication that comes on the market is now 
being sued.  Someone asked me why?  Lawyers who do these things smell a 
handsome profit and snese that there is abasis for these suits


---- Amani Oakley <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> 
wrote:
> You are correct Margo. No vet would consider experimenting if he thought his 
> client might blame him later for things going wrong. But again, that presumes 
> that a whole lot of people seriously misunderstand the realities of 
> litigation and have bought the insurance companies' spin that there are all 
> these crazy people who will sue at the drop of a hat. Sadly, that is probably 
> true.
>
> Amani
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Felvtalk [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
> Of Margo
> Sent: October-05-16 6:21 AM
> To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 30, Issue 10
>
>
> Funny, my thought was that a Vet would be LESS likely to try anything even 
> slightly out of the norm with a potentially litigious client. That they would 
> go strictly "by the book" in order to be able to defend what they did, should 
> here be a problem.
>
> But then, there are Vets and there are VETS. "My" Vet has her last day
> at the practice Friday for maternity leave, and won't be back until
> January. I have no idea what I'll do. She says she'll be available by
> phone and email, but I have my doubts. Although I DO think she'll be
> bored ;)
>
> Margo
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: ROBERT CHAPEL <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
> >Sent: Oct 4, 2016 9:03 PM
> >To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
> >Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 30, Issue 10
> >
> >Amani...
> >I don't know how things work in Canada but I KNOW that were I a
> >lawyer I would get more cooperation from my vet....  As Vets begin to
> >charge more and more and large corporations begin to buy up small
> >practices here in the states the model is now moving toward the
> >downside of human medicine.... discrete scheduling time periods to maximize 
> >profits...
> >little time to " discuss" options and an aversion to moving on to
> >topics that could cause spending extra time.....  As prices rise so
> >do owner resentments at not being " cared about" or listened to just
> >as in human medicine..... and that( at least in the US) is when
> >lawsuits are most likely to be filed.... Most of us can forgive a vet
> >making a mistake when we feel he/she has put real thought and concern
> >into a Tx plan but putting our pets at risk because an alteration in
> >plan causes him to have to step outside his comfort zone( and spend
> >some extra time
> >thinking) or simply doesn't appear to care.. That doesn't fly when we
> >are paying Hundreds of dollars to save our precious pets..
> >Malpractice lawyer pet owners ( or patients in human medicine) are
> >likely surreptitiously treated with great care when moving through
> >waters fraught with potential for terminal errors..... and likely get
> >a bit more cooperation from their vets...   I am glad for your cats
> >that you ARE in the profession that you now are...
> >So... it is , in my opinion, both good fortune and a dose of
> >deferential caution that gets you the kind of cooperation you get
> >from your vet????   Yeah.... I'm pretty jaded at this point  : ) That
> >is why I HAD to retire a bit early....
> >
> >


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