## Q67 key (Spinal-Infection Intake)

1. The signed preliminary opinions support breach and the supplied causation threshold: the neurosurgeon states a 60 percent probability that timely decompression would have avoided permanent deficit, exceeding 50 percent. The sepsis defense creates trial risk already reflected in the 55 percent success probability. Missed: a sufficient causation opinion is mislabeled a mere lost possibility or treated as certainty.
2. Conditional expected verdict is 60 percent of $1,200,000 plus 30 percent of $2,400,000 plus 10 percent of $4,000,000, equaling $1,840,000. Missed: the 55 percent liability probability is applied twice or omitted.
3. At $1.2 million: reimburse $240,000 costs, leaving $960,000; fee is $320,000; Lena receives $640,000 before lien and $480,000 after the $160,000 lien. At $2.4 million: Lena nets $1,280,000. At $4 million: Lena nets approximately $2,346,667. Missed: fee is calculated before cost reimbursement or the lien is charged to gross recovery.
4. Conditional expected client net is 60 percent of $480,000 plus 30 percent of $1,280,000 plus 10 percent of $2,346,667, approximately $906,667. Multiply by 55 percent success probability for overall expected client net of approximately $498,667. Missed: loss branches or the conditional distribution are omitted.
5. Conditional expected fee is one-third of the $1,600,000 remaining after subtracting $240,000 in costs from the $1,840,000 conditional expected verdict, or approximately $533,333. Expected fee is 55 percent of that, approximately $293,333. Expected unreimbursed cost loss is 45 percent of $240,000, or $108,000. Expected net return is approximately $185,333. Missed: reimbursed costs are counted as profit or losing-case costs disappear.
6. The expected net return exceeds the firm's $175,000 threshold by approximately $10,333. The client economics are also materially positive on the supplied inputs. Missed: the case is accepted or declined without applying the firm's own criterion.
7. Accept the case, retain both experts immediately, obtain final certificates within 20 days, complete investigation and pleadings, and file no later than day 80 so the complaint is supported at least 30 days before the day-110 deadline. Missed: a financially qualifying case is lost to an avoidable certificate or limitations failure.