Article Surfing Archive

Living in a litigious society has made many of us think of court settlement as our first rather than the last resort. Whenever a problem arises and ends up in a dispute, most of us prefer to have our dispute legally settled.

Thus, theres always a chance that youll need the services of an expert witness at some point in your life. Hiring an expert witness can solidify your case against the other party; if you hire the right expert witness service, the company will able to provide more than adequate proof and reliable testimony in court to support your claim.

Even if you dont need to hire the right expert witness service now, you could need one later so its better to be prepared in advance. The expect witness service youll avail of must meet the following criteria:

1. Adequate Courtship Experience

You cant hire a novice to act as your expert witness. Court room battles are vicious and if the expert witness doesnt have any experience in providing testimonies, his claims will be shredded to bits even if hes telling the truth. An experienced expert witness knows on the other hand how to handle himself in court and modify his behavior and speech depending on the type of lawyer or judge whos questioning him. An experienced expert witness knows when to act calm or passionate and above all, how to be utterly convincing.

2. Proficiency in Report Making

Expert witnesses are almost always required to submit detailed reports about their findings. If an expert witness doesnt have excellent writing skills and adequate experience in creating reports, he will once more be subject to more abuse from the other partys legal counsel. Facts can easily be overturned if they are not stated convincingly. Ask for samples of your expert witness reports to visualize how he can help win your case.

3. Achievements and Credentials

Although titles dont define a person, they do carry significant weight in the court room. Consider this: if a jury is debating on the quality of education being provided by a certain school, that type of expert witness will they be more inclined to believe one who has sufficient experience in teaching and have a long list of professional credits and certification to his name or one who has simply had the benefit of graduating from high school? It may not be fair but thats how the world or more specifically, the law works. Knowing this, why hire one who doesnt have enough credentials when you can hire an expert witness that has them?

4. Degree of Involvement in an Industry

If you are looking for an expert witness to help you win a dispute over a real estate property, you will do better if you hire an expert witness who happens to work in the real estate industry as well. Being an active member of the industry helps the expert witness become a better judge and adviser. The expert witness doesnt rely on his observations and analytic skills alone to render a judgment; his actual work experience helps him greatly as well in coming up with valid and accurate results.

5. Training and Workshops Attended

Believe it or not, there are trainings, workshops and seminars offered to help expert witnesses improve in their line of work. These additional classes will help expert witnesses attain their goals in a more effective and efficient manner.

6. Paying the Right Price

Of course, expert witness services come in a range of prices. Their rates depend on the amount of experience they have and the extent of work theyll be expending for your case. Its your call if you wish to go over your budget and secure a favorable outcome of your case.

7. Reputation Matters

Lastly, although its you who have hired the expert witness, he must still remember and understand that his primary duty is to help the court seek the truth. Thats why his reputation matters as well. If hes known to take bribes and make dishonest or biased claims in favor of the hiring party, his professionalism will surely be questioned in the court room. In the worst case scenario, his opinion would be rendered invalid and youll end up having hired him for no reason.