Future Doctors Learn Valuable Lessons from Noted Medical Malpractice Attorney

Attorney Robert Higgins addresses Harvard Medical School students

Medical schools train future physicians to diagnose, treat, and heal, but one important lesson in medicine doesn't come from a textbook or a clinical rotation. It comes from understanding what happens when things go wrong.

Medical malpractice attorney Robert Higgins speaks to students at Harvard Medical School

That's the premise behind a unique educational opportunity at Harvard Medical School, where fourth-year students heard directly from Attorney Robert M. Higgins, a partner at Lubin & Meyer and one of New England's most accomplished medical malpractice trial lawyers. At the invitation of Harvard Medical School faculty, Attorney Higgins brought decades of courtroom and litigation experience into the classroom, offering future physicians a candid look at how medical decisions, documentation, and communication can carry profound legal — and human — consequences.

Learning from patient harms

Drawing from a career spent representing patients and families harmed by preventable medical error, Higgins addressed topics at the heart of patient safety: informed consent, accountability, the dangers of delayed diagnosis, and the role of systems-based practices in protecting patients. His perspective is rare and valuable, having spent years examining exactly where care breaks down and why.

The focus was not on liability as a threat but on patient care, and how understanding legal and ethical dimensions of medicine can make doctors better, safer, and more trusted by the patients they serve.

Why this matters for patient safety

"As medical malpractice lawyers, we see the issues that impact care," said Higgins. "Breakdowns in communication. Failure to follow established protocols. Delays in diagnosis. We see recurring patterns behind preventable patient harm. By showing medical students how to recognize these vulnerabilities early, they are better equipped to offer safer care as doctors."

Lubin & Meyer represents individuals and families in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.



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