Hidden Injuries, High Stakes: Mastering Whiplash and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Litigation

James Joseph Lehman, DC, MBA, DIANM | University of Bridgeport

James J. Lehman has been qualified as an expert in both civil and criminal courts. He has taught “Whiplash Associated Disorders” to chiropractic students and chiropractic physicians for more than 15 years. During that time period, he has consulted as a medical expert in personal injury, sexual assault, medical fraud, and medical malpractice cases. This year he presented Whiplash Associated Disorders webinars to the Florida Chiropractic Physician Association and the Pennsylvania Chiropractic Association. He is scheduled to present the same topic at the American College of Chiropractic Consultants meeting in Chicago in October.

Dr. Lehman graduated from Logan University with his Doctor of Chiropractic degree on September 15, 1972. After completing a one-year residency in Quebec, Canada, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. During his 33 years in New Mexico, he completed his MBA and his Diplomate as a board-certified chiropractic orthopedist. While practicing Dr. Lehman was continually active in the New Mexico Chiropractic Association and was voted chiropractor of the year on three occasions.

He founded the chiropractic service within the Orthopedic Department at the Lovelace Medical Center and served on the University of New Mexico, School of Medicine advisory committee, which founded the Integrative Medicine Section within the Internal Medicine Department. During his final five years in New Mexico, Dr. Lehman served as a clinical faculty member and mentored fourth-year, medical students, and first-year internal medicine residents.

Dr. Lehman accepted a faculty position at the University of Bridgeport in the School of Chiropractic in August of 2006. He continues to teach as a tenured Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences. In 2010, he accepted a position as director of the Health Sciences Postgraduate Education Department. Subsequently, he has integrated chiropractic and acupuncture services into seven different Federally Qualified Health Centers in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Ohio. The chiropractic providers evaluate and manage patients with both acute and chronic pain conditions.

James founded the first, full-time, three-year resident training program in October of 2013, which leads to board certification as a chiropractic specialist. As the founding program director, he proudly announced the accreditation of the residency program on August 1, 2021, by the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine. Dr. Lehman developed the 300-hour, postdoctoral, Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine program that leads to board certification with the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine. This program has been accepted and approved by the ARMY (ARMY IGNITE), and the Veterans Administration.

Lloyd Bell | Bell Law Firm

Lloyd Bell, founding partner of Bell Law Firm, is an accomplished trial lawyer nationally recognized for his success in complex medical-malpractice and catastrophic-injury cases. A former U.S. Army JAG Corps officer, Lloyd has dedicated over 30 years to representing victims of medical error and negligence, achieving record-setting verdicts including Georgia’s largest medical-malpractice award of $75 million. His extensive courtroom experience—combined with a mastery of medical evidence and narrative storytelling—makes him a leading authority on cases involving hidden or misunderstood injuries such as whiplash and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Known for his innovative use of demonstrative exhibits and technology to make invisible injuries visible to juries, Lloyd brings unmatched insight into the medical, legal, and human complexities that define high-stakes injury litigation.

Session I – Whiplash Associated Disorders: Diagnosis and Prognosis | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

• The diagnosis of whiplash associated disorders
• Grading of the whiplash injury
• The prognosis of whiplashed clients
• Future medical costs

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

Session II – How to Win a Trial Involving Complex Regional Pain Syndrome | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

• Proven techniques for a winning CRPS case
• Best practices for retaining, preparing, and presenting medical and life-impact experts
• Strategies for crafting demonstrative evidence and timelines
• Methods for distilling complex medical science into persuasive themes
• Techniques for developing damages narratives
• Step-by-step cross-examination strategies for dismantling defense experts
• Effective use of Daubert/Frye challenges
• Courtroom tactics to neutralize defense narratives while maximizing jury comprehension and empathy