When a Schenectady attorney files the victim’s medical malpractice lawsuit, they are also required to furnish an affidavit of merit according to N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 3012-A. This certificate confirms that the lawyer has either conferred with a medical expert who determined that a civil claim for damages is justified, or that the attorney was unable to get the opinion of a medical expert after endeavoring to do so on three distinct occasions. In certain cases, the court may grant the plaintiff an additional 90 days to file the affidavit if the statutory deadline would make filing the certificate an undue burden.