Medical Legal Reports
Independent, court-ready medico-legal reports for solicitors and insurers across England and Wales. We are a MedCo registered Medical Reporting Organisation (MRO) instructing GMC and HCPC registered experts. We provide the medical evidence; the legal decisions stay with you.
What is a medical legal report?
A medical legal report is an independent medical opinion prepared for a court that sets out a claimant's injuries, their cause and their likely prognosis for use as evidence in a legal claim.
It is written by a suitably qualified medical expert, not by the treating clinician acting as a carer, and its purpose is to help the court understand the medical facts rather than to argue either side's case. A medico-legal report is different from your GP records or hospital notes. Medical records describe treatment as it happened. A medico-legal report reviews those records, adds a focused examination and history, and turns them into a reasoned expert opinion on diagnosis, causation and prognosis.
Expert Medical is a Medical Reporting Organisation (MRO). We commission and quality-check these reports for instructing solicitors and insurers. We supply medical evidence only. We do not give legal advice and we do not run claims.
What does a medico-legal report contain?
A compliant medico-legal report contains a defined set of sections set out in Practice Direction 35 (PD35), the practice direction that sits under CPR Part 35. A report missing any of these sections is open to challenge, so every report we deliver is checked against that requirement before it reaches you.
- 01The expert's qualifications and the substance of the instructions received.
- 02The documents and medical records the expert reviewed.
- 03The claimant's account of the incident and the reported symptoms.
- 04The examination findings on the day of assessment.
- 05The diagnosis, the expert's view on causation and the prognosis.
- 06Where opinion can reasonably differ, a summary of that range and the reasons for the expert's own view.
- 07A statement of the expert's duty to the court, with a signed statement of truth.
The statement of truth and the expert's declaration are not formalities. They are what give the report its standing as formal expert evidence, signed under a duty to the court, rather than a private medical letter.
Who writes a medical legal report?
A medical legal report is written by a registered medical expert whose specialty matches the injury, and whose overriding duty under CPR Part 35 is to the court rather than to whoever instructed or paid them.
We instruct experts registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) or the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), depending on discipline. Soft-tissue and short-prognosis injuries are often reported by GPs or urgent-care clinicians; fractures and persistent spinal injury by orthopaedic experts; head, nerve and pain presentations by neurology or pain specialists; and psychological injury by psychiatrists or psychologists.
Because the expert answers to the court, the same report can be relied on whether you act for the claimant or the defendant.
What happens at a medico-legal assessment?
At a medico-legal assessment the expert takes a history from the claimant, reviews the relevant records and carries out a focused clinical examination, then writes the report afterwards rather than on the day. Most assessments are a single appointment; the report follows once the expert has considered the records and findings together.
The claimant is usually asked to describe how the incident happened, the symptoms since, and the effect on work, sleep and daily activities. For physical injuries the expert examines movement, tenderness and function. For psychological injuries the assessment is an interview against recognised diagnostic criteria. There is no treatment at the appointment; the purpose is assessment for evidence. Where the claim allows it, a report can be prepared on records alone without a physical examination.
- 01InstructionYou send the instruction and claimant details
- 02Records reviewThe expert reviews the relevant medical records
- 03ExaminationThe expert takes a history and examines the claimant
- 04DraftingThe expert writes the reasoned opinion
- 05Quality checkWe check it against every PD35 requirement
- 06DeliveryThe court-ready report reaches you
Types of report we produce
We produce medical legal reports across the main injury and claim types in England and Wales, matching each instruction to an expert in the right discipline. Covering the main claim types under one MRO, rather than a single specialty, means you handle a mixed caseload without re-sourcing experts case by case.
Road traffic accident reportsoccupant and non-occupant injuries, including soft-tissue whiplash claims
Workplace accident reportsemployers' liability and public liability claims
Clinical and medical negligence reportsaddressing breach of duty and causation
Noise-induced hearing loss reportsfor industrial deafness claims
Psychiatric and psychological reportsPTSD, travel anxiety and adjustment disorders
Military claims reportsfor serving personnel and veterans
Data breach reportsdistress and psychological injury assessments
Specialist reportsEvery other discipline, from cardiology to maxillofacial, through our specialist route.
MedCo reports vs directly instructed experts
MedCo applies to one specific situation: the first report on a low-value, soft-tissue injury to the occupant of a motor vehicle, the whiplash-type RTA claim. For those cases the expert or MRO must be selected through the MedCo portal, which randomises the choice to protect the expert's independence. Most other claims are instructed directly.
| MedCo route | Direct instruction | |
|---|---|---|
| Applies to | First report on a low-value soft-tissue injury to a motor vehicle occupant (whiplash-type RTA) | All other claim types |
| How the expert is selected | Through the MedCo portal, which randomises the choice | Instructed directly, chosen for their specialty |
| Example claims | Whiplash and minor soft-tissue RTA occupant injuries | Cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians, workplace and public liability, clinical negligence, industrial disease, hearing loss |
| In place since | April 2015 | Standard practice |
As a MedCo registered MRO, we handle both routes. We can be selected through MedCo for qualifying RTA soft-tissue reports, and instructed directly for everything else. Using the wrong route can make a report challengeable.
CPR Part 35 compliance and quality control
Every report we deliver is written to comply with CPR Part 35, the rule that governs expert evidence in civil proceedings in England and Wales. Part 35 fixes the expert's overriding duty to the court, and Practice Direction 35 sets the required content, the declaration and the statement of truth. A report that meets these requirements is far harder to challenge on procedural grounds.
The rules also allow the parties to put written Part 35 questions to an expert under CPR 35.6, and to obtain supplementary or addendum reports where new records or developments arise. Where a single joint expert is instructed, the same duty of independence applies to both sides.
Our quality check confirms the report answers the instructions, includes every PD35 section, and carries the correct declaration before it leaves us. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO registration ZC040477) and handle claimant records accordingly.
How long does a report take and what does it cost?
Turnaround and cost both depend on the specifics of the claim, not a single fixed figure. What we can be clear about is the factors that move them, so you can plan the instruction.
Turnaround is driven by three things: how quickly the claimant attends the assessment, whether full medical records are available for review, and the specialty involved. A straightforward soft-tissue opinion can often be ready within a few weeks of the assessment, while a complex negligence or industrial disease report takes longer.
On cost, MedCo soft-tissue RTA reports are charged at the fixed recoverable fee set by the Civil Procedure Rules, so the figure is not negotiable and is the same across providers. Reports outside MedCo are priced by the expert's specialty, the volume of records, and whether an examination or a records-only opinion is required. We confirm the fee and expected timescale with you at the point of instruction rather than after delivery.
Why instruct an independent MRO, and how to instruct us
Instruct us when you want court-ready medical evidence from an independent MRO that covers the full range of claim types and quality-checks every report before you see it. As a Medical Reporting Organisation we carry the expert sourcing, scheduling, records handling and PD35 compliance, so your team receives a report that is ready to use.
A note on our name. Expert Medical is Expert Medical Examination Ltd, company number 16702658. When you send an instruction, please check you are instructing Expert Medical Examination Ltd rather than a similarly named organisation.
To instruct us, send your instruction and the claimant's details through our contact page, or select us through the MedCo portal for qualifying RTA soft-tissue reports. You can review the disciplines we cover on our medical expert panel. We provide the medical evidence; the legal strategy stays with you.
Medical legal reports: frequently asked questions
What is a medico-legal report?
A medico-legal report is an independent medical opinion, written for legal proceedings, that sets out a claimant's injuries, their cause and their likely recovery. It is prepared by a qualified expert whose duty is to the court, and it is used as evidence in a claim rather than as part of treatment.
What is the difference between a medico-legal report and my medical records?
Your medical records describe the treatment you received as it happened, while a medico-legal report reviews those records and adds an expert opinion on diagnosis, causation and prognosis for a claim. The report is written specifically as evidence and complies with CPR Part 35; your records are not.
Who writes a medico-legal report?
A registered medical expert in the relevant specialty writes it, for example a GP, orthopaedic surgeon, neurologist or psychiatrist depending on the injury. We instruct experts registered with the GMC or HCPC, and their overriding duty under CPR Part 35 is to the court.
How much does a medico-legal report cost in the UK?
For MedCo soft-tissue RTA reports the fee is a fixed recoverable cost set by the Civil Procedure Rules, so it is the same across providers. Reports outside MedCo are priced by specialty, records volume and whether an examination is needed, and we confirm the fee at instruction.
How long does a medico-legal report take?
It depends mainly on how soon the claimant attends the assessment, whether full medical records are available, and the complexity of the specialty, and we confirm the expected timescale when you instruct us.
What is CPR Part 35 and why must the report comply with it?
CPR Part 35 is the rule governing expert evidence in civil cases in England and Wales, and it makes the expert's overriding duty a duty to the court. A report that complies with Part 35 and Practice Direction 35, including the declaration and statement of truth, carries weight as formal expert evidence and is much harder to challenge on procedural grounds.
What is MedCo and why is it used for whiplash claims?
MedCo is the portal that randomly allocates the expert or MRO for the first report on a low-value soft-tissue injury to a motor vehicle occupant, which protects the expert's independence. It applies only to those whiplash-type RTA reports; cyclists, pedestrians, workplace and other claims are instructed directly.
Do you work for claimants or defendants?
Either. The expert's duty under CPR Part 35 is to the court rather than to whoever instructs the report, so the same independent evidence can be relied on by both sides. We work with instructing solicitors and insurers; we do not give legal advice or run the claim.
Ready to instruct Expert Medical?
Whether you have a single instruction or a high-volume caseload, our team is ready to help. Call us directly or send an enquiry and we’ll respond within 24 hours.