What Makes a Good Expert Witness, an Attorneys Perspective.

Expert testimony plays a crucial role in complex litigation.  Due to the highly technical issues often involved in most environmental cases, competent and proficient expert testimony can make the difference between winning and losing.  The most competent and proficient experts often have a core set of characteristics beyond technical expertise.  Those characteristics include:

• They understand the litigation process and their role in telling the client’s story;
• Are cognizant of the sense of urgency and unpredictable demands of litigation;
• Are sensitive to the pitfalls of discovery;
• Have developed persuasive methods to explain complex technical facts to a judge or jury; and
• Are cost effective.