Personal Journey | Dr. Brad Boeke

The year was 1985. Three years into practice, I was being sued. To make matters worse, the plaintiff was the mother of a dental assistant that worked for the orthodontist I referred out to.

At first, I was angry. Then, the fear and stress broke through and THAT’S what lingered.

Not only would the public know of my disgrace, but because the plaintiff’s daughter was “in the biz” I thoughts that all of my colleagues would point and shun me! I could see the headlines already.

For months, the lawsuit was always there in the back of my mind. I even began practicing differently to reduce any possible future litigation. The thought of it would keep my up at night.

After many months of mental stress, my attorney and I were scheduled for mediation.

The mediation I had dreaded turned out to be one of the best days of my life! My attorney that day was Vernon Krueger, DDS, JD, and having spent over 8 hours together in mediation, a bond was formed. Our friendship changed my professional life for the next 30 years.

Months later, Dr. Krueger asked me to be an expert witness. I had many questions, “What the hell is an expert witness? What do I do? What does it pay?”

Over the years, my career as a dental expert witness expanded. I worked with Dr. Krueger on many cases.

In civil cases, other lawyers would reach out to Dr. Krueger and I would be referred. I’ve worked with some of the best malpractice firms in Texas. I’ve been hired to simply review cases and provide my opinion. And I’ve also reviewed and defended state board complaints in various states.

With 30+ years’ experience as an expert witness, there is much I have learned, including the subtle nuances that make a difference between mediocre and great. The expert witness and their ability to explain to a judge or jury the intricacies of a case is often the difference between guilty and not guilty. Yet, the resources available to teach beginners the craft have been limited.

When you break it down, many lawsuits come down to simply a business decision.

However, to the dentist being sued it’s personal. They are the ones who suffer the sleepless nights and experience the fears over their ability to practice. Dental Expert Witness Training (DEWT) courses and mentoring programs guide and empower the clinician who is disenchanted with chairside practice, would like to utilize their education, and/or is seeking additional income.

DEWT shines a light on the path to work as a dental expert witness and helps dentists develop a plan of action to help them get from here to there.