Expert witness selection is important for cases that have complex litigation as it is often imperative to hire someone who is knowledgeable and specialized in the field of study or subject debated in the courtroom. This may provide a chance at success for the plaintiff. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and applicable state court rules, an expert witness provides opinion testimony at a trial, thus enhancing the presentation of your case. It is essential that your expert witness be thoroughly prepared not to submit to the defense. If you work in the construction industry, then you will know that sometimes disputes can have several reasons. Whether it is because of planning permission issue or a structural fault with the building, the expert witness should know all these matters in depth.
Here are some tips in helping your expert witness and which company to contact for expert witness services when it comes to matters of construction.
Identify the Problems – The first step you need to determine is working with the expert, this mean getting the inside scoop from the attorney and identifying the problems early so that you can define a plan. There are a variety of reasons why an attorney would hire a consultant to prepare an expert. For example, the witness might be defensive or arrogant or display nonverbal behavior or answers poorly to routine questions. This kind of behavior is certainly going to affect the jurors and it is up to the expert witness to handle the situation calmly.
Understand how the witness’s opinion will fit into the general argument of the case – An expert witness’s testimony is typically very influential to the outcome of a case. Often complex cases will not settle until after the expert has issued comprehensive reports or given their deposition. The counsel’s legal team should work with the witness to outline the analytical procedures which will need to be performed. Also, counsel should explain timelines and important events in the case to the expert witness.
Monitor how the expert’s work is progressing before they reach their final conclusion – The attorney should meet with his or her expert to discuss how their findings are progressing. This should allow the attorney time to review how various facts may affect the case both positively or negatively. It will also give the legal team time to determine if their argument is strong and if there are any opinions upon which reasonable experts may differ.
Have your expert provide strong support for their conclusion – The primary purpose of the expert witness should be able to provide strong support for the position that is being argued by the attorney who has hired them. However, the witness must be able to defend their opinion with analytics, testing, and inspection.
Make sure your expert witness looks the part and speaks well in public – The expert should be dressed professionally and appear visually credible in their field. The witness must be able to effectively give an oral presentation using visuals as well as being able to answer open ended questions. They should feel comfortable defending their conclusion in a cross examination.
The expert witness should maintain the appearance of being an independent servant of the court – An expert witness should not overtly advocate the argument of the attorney who hired them. Instead they should state and defend their opinion in a non-biased manner with facts and research. Having an expert witness who can provide strong support for their conclusion lends far more credibility to the case than if the expert simply stated a non supported opinion.
For all your expert witness services concerning construction, get in touch with Kane Construction Management Inc in Florida.
This is some really good information about getting an expert witness. It does seem like a good thing to get an expert who is good at communicating. Thanks for stressing that you will want to make sure that you don’t get someone who is arrogant.