I'm not sure how the process might differ from US to Canada, but I have done this a few times. It's a fair amount of work, but it pays reasonably well for your time. I was given the option to review the case first to see if I agreed with the side I was being asked to defend. The most frustrating part for me was being given a 3 week window that I had to keep open for the trial, even though I would ultimately only be needed for 1 or 2 of the days. It was also tough because I knew the neuro-ophthalmologist on the other end of the case, and we sent a lot of documents back and forth picking apart each others arguments. I know it wasn't personal, but it was hard not to take it that way. And it goes to show you that there are a lot of subtleties in the practice of medicine!
I'd say the most compelling reason to consider doing this work would be that if you were ever the defendant in need of an expert witness, you would hope that one of your colleagues would be willing to step up and do it too.
Lulu
The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.
www.sjhc.london.on.ca