Professionalism in court: The neurologist as expert witness.

Serving as an expert witness can be a rewarding experience. It affords the neurologist the opportunity to contribute expertise to the legal system's pursuit of justice and benefits the public interest. However, serving as an expert witness without understanding and incorporating relevant professional and specialty guidelines concerning expert witness testimony can place the neurologist at risk.

Upholding professionalism: the disciplinary process of the American Academy of Neurology.

Objective: To review the disciplinary process by which the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) enforces its formalized standards of professional conduct.

Methods: We reviewed the AAN's Disciplinary Action Policy. We tracked the elapsed time from receipt to final decision of all allegations ("complaints") of improper conduct by AAN members submitted from 2004 to 2009.