Expert witnesses can often make or break a case when it comes to prosecuting or defending a case in a court of law.  Who are these expert witnesses and what do they have to do to become an expert witness?

 

Expert witnesses are often expert consultants who testify under oath about the physical details of a case and state their conclusions and opinions about these details. An expert is someone who has the education, training and/or experience in a particular subject that the average person doesn't have.  An expert witness could be a chemist, hypnotherapist, engineer and psychiatrist or a human resource manager, physicist, laboratory technician or accountant. They can be from any profession or of a special skill as long as they have the ability to assess and evaluate conditions on a case related to their individual fields of specialty.

 

Now more than ever, issues in litigation are requiring the services of expert witnesses to enlighten judges and juries on technical matters and standards of care for industry issues related to the cases brought before them.

 

When choosing an expert witness, attorneys look for those with qualifications that will help them establish who or what might be involved or the cause of issues in the lawsuit, thus adding substance to their position or allegations.  Interestingly one's level of education is far less important than their knowledge and level of experience in their field.

 

Because a case can be won or lost depending upon how well the expert witness delivers his or her information in court.  It's important that experts can speak with authority and know how to communicate effectively to the judge and the jury. Having some degree of legal savvy to be aware of the opposing lawyers' 'trick questions' also becomes a greate advantage for expert witnesses in their effort to maintain credibility with the judge and jury. 

 

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