Ashley Richards

You started at Hospital EXPERTS four years ago as Project Coordinator. How did you become involved with Hospital EXPERTS and what did your responsibilities consist of? 

I graduated from Montclair State University with a BA in history and I minored in anthropology and paralegal studies. Before graduating I interned at the Legal Aid Society Criminal Appeals Bureau in New York City. From that experience I knew I wanted to work in the legal field, so when I saw an opening here at Hospital EXPERTS I jumped at the opportunity. 

When I came on board I was primarily responsible for general case management, making sure our experts were working as efficiently as possible on cases and were aware of crucial deadlines. I also landed myself in a role as a research assistant so if our experts needed additional information or assistance with use of outside resources, they’d come to me. I enjoy doing the research and thanks to my BA in history and completion of the paralegal studies program I had no issues with looking up articles, regulations and state statues. 

In addition to case management, I oversee the daily operations and often attended tradeshows, networking events and met with clients, as needed. 

Four years later you are now the VP of Operations, how has your role and involvement in the company changed? 

Before moving into this position, I served as the Director of Operations and Client Relations. Prior to that, I was the Associate Director of Operations. Those positions started to shift my position here at Hospital EXPERTS in terms of increased involvement with client relations and the interworking of the company. While I do carry some of my past responsibilities, my primary focus now is mostly in business development – in particular, our expert retention process. In other words, I’m involved in client intake and responsible for assigning the appropriate expert to a particular case whether it be in administration or clinical. I work under the direction of and in collaboration with Dr. Bojko throughout this process. 

We’ve recently seen a spike in requests for clinical experts from our clients. After a client speaks with myself, Dr. Bojko, or another member of the Hospital EXPERTS team, we filter through the details of the call, determine what their needs are, and pair them with the proper clinician. It’s very beneficial to have Dr. Bojko’s medical background because it enables us to assist our clients in identifying or finding the requested expert. 

How does Hospital EXPERTS differ from other expert witness firms? 

There are few ways in which we differ. The first is that were the only firm specializing in the field of hospital corporate liability. The second is that we do both plaintiff and defense work. There are a lot of experts and expert firms that do one or the other, but we do both. 

A third way we differ is that, even though we’re a national company, we aren’t an expert mill. We have a rigorous vetting process that we apply to our established hospital administration faculty and we’ve begun to apply that same process to our clinical experts. We also keep in contact with our experts throughout the duration of the case providing support as needed 

A final way we differ is that, though we’re based in New Jersey, we’re a national company; therefore, our office doesn’t close at 5pm. We remain available to our clients on the west coast until they close for business, staying up and operating as best we can to help and support them. 

What are your hobbies outside of work? 

If I’m not in the office I’m at the beach (weather permitting) or walking my dog around town. I’m also a die-hard New York Giants and New Jersey Devils fan.