When a trusted doctor or hospital makes a careless mistake, the harm can follow you and your family for a long time. At Richard Schwartz & Associates, we help patients across the state hold health care providers accountable when poor care causes real injury. As your Mississippi medical malpractice lawyer, we take on the records, the paperwork, and the pushback from insurers, so you can put your attention on getting better.
Call for a free case review, day or night. There is no cost to talk, and you owe us nothing unless we win.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Why Mississippi Families Choose Our Medical Malpractice Team
- What Counts as Medical Malpractice in Mississippi?
- Who Can Be Held Responsible for Medical Malpractice in Mississippi?
- When Should You Call a Mississippi Medical Malpractice Attorney?
- What an MS Medical Negligence Lawyer Can Recover for You
- How Our Mississippi Medical Malpractice Lawyer Proves Negligence
- What Types of Cases Does Our Medical Malpractice Team Take?
- FAQs: Trustworthy Answers from a Mississippi Medical Malpractice Lawyer
- Put Our Mississippi Team on Your Side Today
Why Mississippi Families Choose Our Medical Malpractice Team
People choose our firm because we pair decades of steady results with close, local attention. Our roots run deep in the communities we serve, and we treat every patient who calls like a neighbor.
We keep things clear from the first call. You speak with a real member of our team; we explain your choices in plain language, and we handle the medical records, medical reviews, and insurance adjusters for you. Our medical malpractice attorneys in Jackson appear often in the Hinds County Circuit Court, and our team also takes Columbus medical malpractice claims and cases across the rest of the state.
A few facts set our medical malpractice work apart:
- More than 40 years representing Mississippi patients
- Over $1 billion recovered for injured clients and families
- Six offices statewide, with help available 24/7
- Free case reviews with no obligation
- No attorney fee unless we win
That record grows out of preparation, not promises, and we bring the same care to every claim, large or small.
Results may vary. Prior case outcomes do not guarantee similar results.
Ask us for a free, no-obligation review of your medical malpractice case.
What Counts as Medical Malpractice in Mississippi?
Medical malpractice happens when a health care provider fails to give the level of care a reasonably careful provider would give, and that failure hurts the patient. Not every bad outcome is malpractice, because medicine carries risk even when everyone does the right thing. The line we look at is whether the provider broke the accepted standard of care.
The standard of care is not about perfect results. It asks what a careful provider in the same field would have done in your situation. When a doctor, nurse, or hospital falls short of that mark, and a patient is hurt, a claim may follow.
Mississippi law requires an additional step before these cases proceed. Under Miss. Code § 11-1-58, our lawyers must consult a qualified medical professional who can review the records and determine whether a reasonable basis exists for the claim. That early review helps identify viable cases and shape the evidence from the beginning.
Careless care shows up in many forms:
- Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis
- Surgical mistakes
- Medication and dosage errors
- Anesthesia errors
- Failure to monitor or treat
Some of the hardest cases we see involve harm to mothers and newborns, including birth injury and medical negligence during labor and delivery. If something about your care feels wrong, get honest answers about your options at no cost.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for Medical Malpractice in Mississippi?
More than one party can share the blame when medical care goes wrong. A claim often starts with the individual provider, but the hospital, clinic, or practice that employed them may also answer for the harm. In some cases, a lab, an imaging center, or a nursing facility played a part as well.
Sorting out who is responsible takes a close look at your records and the choices each provider made. We track down every party that may owe you money, so no one who contributed to your injury slips away. Let us sort out who is at fault in a free review.
When Should You Call a Mississippi Medical Malpractice Attorney?
The best time to call a Mississippi medical malpractice attorney is as soon as you suspect that poor care caused your injury. The primary reason is timing. Mississippi gives most patients two years to file a claim, measured from the date you knew or reasonably should have known about the harm, under Miss. Code § 15-1-36.
That two-year window is shorter than the three-year limit that applies to most other injury claims in the state. Mississippi also sets an outer limit: in most cases no malpractice claim may be filed more than seven years after the act or omission, even if the harm was not discovered until later. A malpractice claim also takes months of record-gathering and medical review before filing, so the practical window is shorter than it looks.
Working with our Mississippi medical malpractice lawyer early gives our team room to do that work well. Early filing lets us handle several key steps:
- Request and read your full medical records
- Consult qualified medical professionals
- Identify every provider who may share fault
- Send the 60-day written notice Mississippi requires before filing
- Prepare your claim before the deadline
Deadlines in these cases can turn on small details, and a missed date can end a valid claim for good. Find out where your case stands with a free consultation whenever you are ready.
What an MS Medical Negligence Lawyer Can Recover for You
A successful claim can return the money you have lost and help with the losses that are harder to count. As your MS medical negligence lawyer, we pursue the full value of what the harm has cost you and your family. Mississippi law shapes part of this, so it helps to know how damages work.
Damages fall into two groups, and they follow different rules. Economic damages cover measurable costs like bills and lost wages, while noneconomic damages cover the harm that carries no receipt. Depending on the circumstances of your case, your claim may include several kinds of losses:
- Medical bills: Past and future costs for emergency care, hospital billing, and the ongoing and long-term care your providers document as related to the harm.
- Lost income: Wages and benefits missed while you recover, along with reduced earning capacity when your injuries limit the work you can perform in the future.
- Pain and suffering: Compensation for physical pain, discomfort, disability, and the everyday limitations the injury places on your independence and normal activities.
- Emotional harm: Emotional distress, grief, and loss of enjoyment of life connected to the injury and the changes it creates in your daily routine.
- Home and care costs: Expenses for in-home assistance, transportation, medical equipment, household help, and modifications needed to make your home safer or more accessible.
- Loss of consortium: Compensation for the effect a serious injury has on a marriage, including the loss of companionship, affection, intimacy, and support between spouses.
Noneconomic damages cover the losses that carry no receipt, like physical pain and the things you can no longer do. Mississippi caps those at $500,000 in most malpractice cases under Miss. Code § 11-1-60, though economic damages are not capped. For a lasting injury, economic losses can include years of future care, which we calculate with medical and financial input.
Find out what your medical malpractice claim may be worth in a free, private call.
How Our Mississippi Medical Malpractice Lawyer Proves Negligence
A poor medical outcome alone does not prove malpractice. Our Mississippi medical malpractice lawyers must connect the provider's error directly to your injury, using medical records and professional opinions to establish each part of the claim.
Causation is often the most difficult issue. We must show that the provider's mistake, rather than the underlying condition, caused or worsened your harm. Independent medical review can help establish that connection for a judge or jury.
We work to prove several connected points:
- A provider owed you a duty of care
- The provider broke the accepted standard of care
- That breach directly caused your injury
- The injury led to real losses
When malpractice takes a life, the case shifts to a wrongful death claim, which lets close family members recover for their loss under Miss. Code § 11-7-13. Damages available to qualifying family members for losses caused by a loved one's death may include lost financial support, funeral expenses, companionship, and other recognized losses.
Our team handles these cases with care and pushes for full accountability. Ask about a free review of your loved one's case.
How You Can Strengthen Your Medical Malpractice Claim
A few simple habits help your case from day one. Keep a written record of your symptoms, your appointments, and the names of everyone who treats you. Save every bill, discharge paper, and prescription label in one place.
You do not need to figure out the law on your own. Once you share what you have, we request the rest of your file and handle the medical review. Bring us your notes, and let us build the claim around them at no cost to you.
What Types of Cases Does Our Medical Malpractice Team Take?
Our Jackson medical malpractice lawyers take on a broad set of negligence claims across the state. Some come from a single clear error, while others build from months of overlooked warning signs. Specifically, we help patients and families in cases like these:
- Hospital and emergency room care
- Nursing home and long-term care
- Obstetric and newborn care
- Cancer and stroke cases
- Dental and outpatient procedures
No matter how your injury happened, a short talk can help you see whether a claim makes sense. Request a free consultation with our team today.
FAQs: Trustworthy Answers from a Mississippi Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Patients often ask these questions once they decide to move forward with a Mississippi medical malpractice lawyer.
Can I Still File a Claim if the Hospital Says My Injury Was a Known Risk?
Possibly, because a known risk is not the same as negligence. If a provider disclosed a risk but still fell below the standard of care in treating you, you may have a valid claim. Our team can review the records and the medical input to tell the difference.
What if the Provider Who Harmed Me Works for a State or County Hospital?
Different rules apply when a public hospital or its staff is involved. The Mississippi Tort Claims Act, at Miss. Code § 11-46-11, sets shorter deadlines and strict written notice steps for claims against government providers. Because those windows can be much tighter, call our team quickly so nothing is missed.
Do I Need to Gather My Medical Records Before I Contact You?
No. You are welcome to bring anything you already have, but our office can request your full records for you. A Mississippi medical malpractice lawyer on our team knows how to obtain and read them, so you do not have to sort through the paperwork alone.
How Long Might a Mississippi Medical Malpractice Case Take?
It depends on the injury, the providers involved, and whether the case settles or goes to trial. Some resolve in under a year, while others take longer when medical review and court schedules come into play. We keep you updated as your case moves forward.
Will My Claim Settle or Go to Trial?
Many medical negligence claims settle before trial, but not all. We prepare every case as if it will reach a courtroom, which often strengthens our position in settlement talks. If a fair offer never comes, we are prepared to present your case to a jury.
Can I Bring a Claim for a Family Member Who Cannot Speak for Themselves?
Often, yes. When an injured patient is a child or cannot act on their own, a parent, guardian, or personal representative may be able to file on their behalf. Our team can explain who has the right to bring the claim in your situation.
Can I Change Lawyers if I Already Started a Malpractice Claim Elsewhere?
Yes, in most situations you can switch firms even after a claim is underway. Your file and records transfer to us, and the fee is settled between the firms, not added on top of what you pay. If you feel your case has stalled, a fresh review can tell you where things really stand.
Put Our Mississippi Team on Your Side Today
You have enough to manage without fighting a hospital and its insurer alone. At Richard Schwartz & Associates, we take on that fight for patients and families across Mississippi, and we do it with no upfront cost to you. Call now for a free case review, and let our medical malpractice team look at what happened and what may come next.