Frequently asked questions
The membership
What does the membership actually include?
A dedicated physician you can call about your cases, unlimited Standard Search, and 20% off White Glove Search and Pre-Litigation Analysis. The physician access is unmetered — there's no hour count and no per-call charge.
Is it per attorney or per firm?
Per attorney. $500 a month buys one attorney a membership, and the discount belongs to that attorney rather than the firm. Multiple attorneys at your firm is a separate conversation — get in touch.
What can I ask my physician, and what gets billed?
Asking is included. Producing is billed. Talk through an intake, get a read on an expert's CV or the defense expert's CV, ask what records to pull, run a theory past a doctor, or have the AI summary your firm generated checked by a physician — all included. When a case needs a physician to read the full record and work through it with you, that's a Pre-Litigation Analysis and it's billed.
Is there a contract?
No. Month to month, cancel any time. First three months are free.
What happens during the three months?
Everything. The trial isn't a limited version — you get the physician, unlimited search, and the member rate on produced work from day one.
Do I have to be a plaintiff attorney?
No. In practice the membership is built around plaintiff work and most members do plaintiff work, but there's no rule about which side you practice.
The searches and the analysis
Standard Search or White Glove — which one do I need?
Standard Search is self-serve. You post the need, specialty-matched experts see it, and the interested ones come back with a current CV and fee schedule. You screen them and make contact. White Glove is done for you: a physician defines the need with you on a call, sources inside the network and beyond it, speaks with each candidate, and makes a warm introduction to the ones you choose.
What if a search comes back empty?
It's possible. Standard Search broadcasts to every qualifying expert, and sometimes nobody raises a hand. If that happens on an à la carte search, your $450 is refunded in full.
Does a physician vet the experts on a Standard Search?
Every expert's credentials are confirmed when they join the network. On an individual search, a medical director reads your request before it goes out — a check that it's clear and complete — but doesn't screen the responders against that particular case. The physician call on each candidate is White Glove.
Does the Pre-Litigation Analysis tell me whether to take the case?
Not directly. A physician reads the full record and walks you through it on a call — the timeline, the standard of care, causation, the gaps, and which experts the case would need. It puts the medicine in context so you can weigh it against everything else you know about the case.
The experts
Who is the expert working for?
Your firm. Experts are independent and you retain them directly. Expert Retainer doesn't employ them, represent them, or pay them. Experts invoice you directly for their services.
Can I browse the network?
No. There are no public profiles and no directory to search, and no way to contact an expert who hasn't taken your case. Experts join on the condition that they stay anonymous until they raise a hand on a specific matter, and that condition is what brings in clinicians who won't list themselves anywhere.
Are these experts on other directories?
Some are, some aren't — that isn't something we'd claim either way. What's different here is that nobody can browse them, nobody can contact them cold, and no one sees a name until that expert takes the case.
Can an expert pay to show up first?
No. There is no sponsored placement, no featured listing, and no way to buy position on a shortlist — permanently, on both sides of the platform. Every expert who matches a case gets the same notification at the same time.
Who can use Expert Retainer?
Attorneys and independent experts. Accounts are verified by firm email, so only attorneys — or someone working directly for one — can submit a case. Search firms, brokers, and agencies can't join.
For experts
Does it cost anything to join?
No. It's free for experts and it always will be. No signup fee, no subscription, no percentage of what you bill.
Will my name appear anywhere?
No. There's no public profile and no directory. Your name goes to an attorney only when you accept a case, and only to that attorney.
Do I have to take cases?
No. Cases in your specialty arrive by email and you click interested or not interested. Declining costs you nothing.
Who sets my fee?
You do. Your fee schedule goes to the attorney when you accept a case, and you invoice the firm directly.