Chris Patterson Featured in the Memphis Daily News

Featured in the Memphis Daily News

Chris Patterson is profiled in today’s edition of the Memphis Daily News:  Patterson Strikes Right Balance Between Legal Duties

Our new firm t-shirts are in. Sign up now to get one!

New Company T-Shirts!

Our new company t-shirts are in!  We have gray and black designs in both long and short sleeve, as modeled below by our new associate, Chase Fisher.

We’ll be giving away at least 25 of the shirts.  Click here to sign up and win!

Advising Clients about Facebook and Twitter

The Tennessee Bar Journal has an insightful article this month about new challenges for lawyers arising out of technology, and the potential collateral damage to their clients’ cases as result of social media like Facebook and Twitter.  Indeed, litigation has always meant that your clients were going to be under scrutiny from their adversaries; however, the ease and widespread use of Facebook and Twitter has vastly changed the rules of the game.

These days, social media is a virtually free and easy database for investigators and adversaries seeking information about clients.  And the informality and ease with which people interact and share information on Facebook and Twitter can often provide fodder for someone looking for ammunition — possibly even to mislead/distort.

Technology is a challenge, and lawyers must be technically savvy enough to be familiar with how social media works so that they discuss these issue intelligently with their clients in order to provide sound advice.

News: Pharmacy Mistakenly Gives Abortion Drug to Pregnant Woman

News: Pharmacy Mistakenly Gives Abortion Drug to Pregnant Woman

News outlets are reporting today that a pharmacy in Denver mistakenly filled a pregnant woman’s prescription with methotrexate, which is a chemotherapy drug that is also used for early-stage pregnancy termination.  There is now a chance that she might lose her unborn child.

Unfortunately, as we’ve blogged about before, pharmacy mix-ups are much more common than you might realize.  In fact, our firm has represented multiple plaintiffs in cases involving serious medication errors by national pharmacy chains.

To be safe, you should always take steps to protect yourself.  Resolve to be a responsible partner in your own healthcare, and communicate with your pharmacist and other healthcare providers. Ask questions if necessary, and stay vigilant about your medications. Know what your pills are supposed to look like, and what your dosage is supposed to be.

For all new medications or medications you are not familiar with, be sure to utilize helpful online “pill identification” tools to confirm that you are taking the right pills.  You can find links on our Blog site by clicking here.

Patterson quoted in Memphis Commercial Appeal regarding Municipal School Districts

Memphis Commercial Appeal regarding Municipal School Districts

Chris Patterson was quoted today in the Memphis Commercial Appeal in connection with potential new educational options being considered by the state legislature in the wake of the debate on the Memphis City Schools charter surrender.

Several Shelby County municipalities are studying the possibility of establishing their own municipal districts, and Patterson was quoted in regard to the potential impact on Oakland, TN.  Patterson Bray serves as counsel to the Town of Oakland, and Patterson is monitoring the various options that may be “in play” for the Town as the debate in Shelby County moves forward.

The newspaper quoted Patterson as follows:

The monitoring of potential state legislation is not limited to Shelby County. Chris Patterson, attorney for Oakland in Fayette County, said the city doesn’t want to be left out of any discussion about new school districts. He said officials are preparing a 20-year growth plan, and the Memphis school situation could affect Oakland.

“There will be some level of exodus, no matter what the result,” Patterson said. “… Oakland wants to avail itself of some of that flight. We want to make Fayette an option rather than DeSoto County or Tipton.”

CNN Report: Study Shows Surgery Mix-ups More Common Than You Might Think

Study Shows Surgery Mix-ups More Common Than You Might Think

“Unthinkable errors by doctors and surgeons — such as amputating the wrong leg or removing organs from the wrong patient — occur more frequently than previously believed, a new study suggests.  …  Catastrophic surgical errors are ‘a lot more common than the public thinks,’ says Dr. Martin Makary, M.D., a professor of surgery and public health at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore.”

“One of the worst cases I saw in this study was two patients who had had prostate biopsies,” [lead researcher Dr. Philip] Stahel says. “One had cancer and one did not. Clinicians mixed up the samples and the patient without cancer had a radical prostatectomy — which is a huge surgery, removal of an organ for nothing — while the patient with cancer [was] still walking out in the community, not knowing his true diagnosis.”

Here at Patterson Bray, we recently handled a similar type case.  We represented a client who ultimately settled her case for over $1 million after her radiological studies were erroneously mixed up by hospital employees resulting in extensive, invasive procedures being performed on the wrong patient, while the true patient was left untreated.

Click here for the CNN Report with reports to the Health.com story.

Reminder for Estimated Tax Filers (Self-employed, etc.)

Reminder for Estimated Tax Filers

For all you estimated tax filers, here’s a friendly reminder that your next payment (using Form 1040-ES) is due this next Wednesday, September 15th.

NOTE:  Estimated taxes are generally paid by self-employed persons, although others are potentially required to file.  According to the IRS website instructions: “Estimated tax is the method used to pay tax on income that is not subject to withholding. This includes income from self-employment, interest, dividends, alimony, rent, gains from the sale of assets, prizes and awards. You also may have to pay estimated tax if the amount of income tax being withheld from your salary, pension, or other income is not enough.”

Interesting Medical Malpractice Series from Local Doctor

Medical Malpractice Series

The Memphis Commercial Appeal had an interesting two-part series about medical malpractice lawsuits written by a local doctor and regular columnist, Dr. Manoj Jain.  He wrote the article from the perspective of recognizing the need for the accountability provided by our medical malpractice system vs. just having had one of his patients send him notice of potential malpractice claim.

While I don’t agree with everything he writes in the two columns, Dr. Jain provides unusually thoughtful, balanced insight for a doctor who is hardly a neutral observer in the fray.  Indeed, he ultimately concludes that the most effective tort reform is simply this: better care and communication by doctors.

How refreshing.  And well worth the read.

Part 1: Threat of Malpractice Lawsuits Means Medicine is a Balancing Act

Part 2: Good Doctor-Patient Relationship Reduces Lawsuits

FYI: Jain also previously wrote an article in 2007 about medical errors and the need for lawyers and lawsuits to hold doctors accountable.