Adam Leighton, Lawyer for Cohen & Cohen, P.C. in Washington DC

Adam Leighton, Attorney at Law - Washington DC & Maryland

Mr. Adam Leighton, lawyer and partner at Cohen & Cohen, PC law firm, is an AV-Rated attorney in Washington, DC (arl@cohenandcohen.net). Mr. Leighton is a member of the District of Columbia, Maryland, Ohio (inactive) and Maine (inactive) bars and the District of Columbia Trial Lawyers Association. Adam Leighton, attorney in the District of Columbia, was designated by the American Trial Lawyers Association as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in DC and named as one of Washington DC’s Super Lawyers for four consecutive years (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013).

Mr. Adam Leighton, lawyer in the District of Columbia, has vast experience in the areas of medical negligence, premises, and automobile matters. He attained the Cohen & Cohen, P.C. Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for his outstanding work in the area of medical negligence cases.

Mr. Adam Leighton, attorney for Cohen & Cohen, PC, has served on the Tort Law Steering Committee and Steering Committee of the Injury to Persons and Property Section of the D.C. Bar. Additionally, Mr. Leighton is the current 2011-2012 President for the Trial Lawyers Association of Washington, D.C. Adam Leighton, attorney in Washington, DC, has served as a Chair of the Education Committee, as a Board of Governor, and as a trial judge at the George Washington University Law School.

During his years in law school in, Mr. Adam Leighton, lawyer for Cohen & Cohen, PC, was a clerk for the Sixth District Court of Appeals in Toledo, Ohio. He also accepted positions as a clerk for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and an intern at the Lucas County Public Defender’s Office. Mr. Leighton graduated from the University of Toledo School of Law in 1997. Mr. Leighton, attorney in the District of Columbia, received a Bachelor of Arts in English, with a minor in Economics from Tulane University in 1993.

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All Doctors Are Human

For legal advice or a complimentary consultation, please visit CohenAndCohen.net. 

Most physicians do excellent work most of the time. They help heal our illnesses, and cure our woes. They fix our broken limbs, stitch our children when they fall, and deliver our babies. But on occasions, physicians, like everyone else, make mistakes.

According to one recent and much publicized study involving physicians, errors cause between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths annually in hospitals in the United States. A parallel study involving nurses showed 33% were aware of at least 1 incident of patient harm caused by physician error in the previous month alone.

Another recent article currently posted on the web page for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (www.acog.org) addresses concerns of residents. The study reports that nearly 6 out of 10 residents are concerned that their long hours may impact upon patient care.

So how does all of this affect you as the patient?

First, take an active role in your care. Do not rely blindly on what any health care provider tells you. There are numerous sources available for you to research different options. There are numerous internet based search engines that will allow you to understand your condition, and learn what other health care providers and patients are doing in similar cases. Two such search engines are (a) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi ; and (b) http://www.emedicine.com.

Second, investigate your physician and learn about his/her credentials. Has your physician performed the procedure before? How many years training does she have? Has he been sued before? Has she been the subject of a disciplinary proceeding? The point is not to rely simply on the physician’s bedside manner.

Third, if and when a mistake is made, act quickly. Use your common sense. A bad result does not necessarily mean that malpractice occurred. But it may. If something occurred which you did not expect, or were not advised of, there may be malpractice. Learn your rights promptly, and take action.

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All health care providers are human, and all humans make mistakes. No one – either because of education or training – is immune from committing error. If you have been victimized by a medical mistake, learn your rights.