The Maryland Court of Appeals has upheld a tort reform measure requiring more stringent qualifications for potential expert witnesses in medical liability cases. In 2004, Maryland issued a law that prevented any doctor who devoted more than 20% of their professional time to working on personal injury cases from testifying as a "medical expert." The court has now clarified as to what sort of professional activities may make up the remainder of a doctor's time to qualify. Physicians argue that the move will limit the number of "hired guns" used to push frivolous lawsuits while trial attorneys argue that the rule will limit an injured patient's access to qualified experts. 

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medical expert witness