Author: Etty Payne

If you’re editing a document that mentions ‘plant affection’ or an ‘easily destructible hedge trimmer’, it may be that you specialise in gardening books. Or, as in my case, medicolegal reports. When I came across those terms in a report, it took some lateral thinking to work out that they should have said ‘plantar flexion’ and ‘an easily distractible head tremor’.

So what is medicolegal editing and why would head tremors and foot movements end up sounding like gardening terms? (Hint: transcription software)

When a doctor writes a report for a personal injury or medical negligence case, every word matters. That report could help determine the outcome of a claim – whether someone receives compensation after an accident, or whether a clinician’s actions are found to be negligent or reasonable. It might be read by solicitors, barristers, judges, insurers, or even by the claimant or defendant themselves. Each case has its own story and that story needs to be crystal clear.

I help expert witnesses make sure their reports are accurate, consistent and easy to follow – without ever changing their professional opinion, of course.

In addition to fixing the usual spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes, I look out for the ambiguous phrasing, the typo in a drug name, the wrong address, the inconsistent spellings in names, the incorrect date that could raise questions later on. Or the left tibia fracture that becomes a right tibia fracture later on, the ‘now’ that should have said ‘not’, the use of the wrong anatomical term (e.g. perineal and peroneal are pronounced the same but relate to two very different parts of the body), or the 30 weekly units of alcohol that should have been 3, which completely changes how a claimant is perceived.

I ensure the timeline makes sense, and that the formatting, structure, and wording meet the requirements of the courts.

How did I get into this kind of editing?

I was approached in 2014 by a pain management expert looking for someone with some medical and anatomy/physiology background to edit his expert witness reports. He was happy with the result and passed my name on to a couple of other doctors, who were also happy, and 12 years later I’ve edited nearly 4,000 medicolegal reports for 36 different expert witnesses. My clients cover medical specialties as wide ranging as orthopaedics, neuropsychology, forensic psychiatry, pain medicine, dermatology, paediatrics, and occupational medicine, to name just some.

Why medicolegal editing matters

A well-edited report helps everyone involved in the case. For the expert witness, it safeguards credibility. For solicitors and barristers, it saves time and reduces the risk of misunderstandings. For the court, it ensures the medical evidence can be understood by readers who may not have a scientific background. And for the claimant, it means they are depicted accurately, objectively, and fairly.

The reports I work on are varied. One day, I might be editing an orthopaedic surgeon’s opinion on a claimant who developed chronic pain after a car accident. The next, it could be a GP’s report exploring whether a delayed diagnosis led to complications. Then it could be a neuropsychology assessment of a child whose difficult birth caused oxygen starvation and brain injury. And I work with forensic psychiatrists whose cases sit right at the intersection of medicine and the criminal justice system. 

In that setting, clarity is absolutely vital. For example, I might edit a psychiatrist’s assessment of whether a defendant accused of theft was capable of forming criminal intent at the time of the offence. Or a report might explore the mental state of a woman charged with murdering her husband after enduring years of psychological abuse and gaslighting – analysing how his threats of violent consequences if she attempted to leave influenced her state of mind and her actions.

Each report involves complex clinical details, sensitive background information, and legal implications that can be life changing. My job is to make sure the expert’s reasoning is clear, the terminology precise, and the structure logical – so that everyone can follow it without needing a medical degree or a magnifying glass.

Sometimes, it’s the smallest edit that makes the biggest difference. I once came across a sentence where an expert wrote that a defendant ‘appeared indifferent to the offence’. The context suggested that maybe it meant emotionally detached due to the side effects of his medication, not unremorseful. But this hadn’t been clarified. A quick question to the expert to confirm my thought meant the defendant was presented accurately and avoided what could have been an awkward moment in court.

A medicolegal report has to do more than present medical facts – it needs to tell a coherent, credible story. When an expert’s reasoning is easy to follow, their authority comes through naturally. Their credibility relies on the clarity of their writing.

Walking the line between medicine, law and language

Working in this field means wearing three hats at once. I need to understand enough medicine to recognise when something doesn’t add up; enough law to know what the courts expect; and enough editorial sense to make it all sound clear and human.

The tone can vary dramatically from one specialty to another. A forensic psychiatrist’s report may require delicately phrased descriptions of mental state and behaviour, while a surgeon’s report might sound like a chapter from an anatomy textbook. I bring structure and clarity – and, occasionally, translate from medical Latin to plain English.

At its heart, this work is about helping professionals communicate clearly in high-stakes situations. However, these reports often deal with very distressing subjects describing tragic life stories and can make disturbing reading. It’s crucial that the humorous mistakes I mentioned at the start of this blog are weeded out (gardening pun intended), but they do give me some much-needed light relief.

And how do such entertaining errors find themselves in the reports I proofread? Quite simply, because many medical experts dictate their reports using transcription software. And despite advances in technology, sometimes the results are less than accurate. It took me a while to realise a ‘baloney amputation’ was a below-knee amputation and that an ‘orphan optimist’ is actually an orthoptist. And when ‘Tim Thomas became unbearable’ in one report, context fortunately told me it was an extreme case of tinnitus rather than an insufferable little boy!

Whether you’re an expert witness looking for an editor, or an editor wanting to know more about medicolegal editing, please do get in touch with us at info@editingglobally.com