The Expert Witness Handbook
Over the course of three decades providing great expert witnesses to litigators, Round Table Group has developed a deep appreciation for well-run expert witness engagements where litigators, their clients and experts all get what they need with minimal drama. However, it doesn’t always go like that.
Litigation can be complicated, high-stakes, and stressful. Effective expert witness usage and complex project management are not law school priorities. First-time experts typically know little about the litigation process or what serving as an expert witness entails, let alone how to do it well.
Our passion is facilitating smooth and productive engagements. For the past several years, Round Table Group has been interviewing attorneys and experts on best practices, and what each party wishes they’d known when they first got started. This handbook combines our own experience with the wisdom distilled from hundreds of these interviews to help experts quickly improve and gain experience without so much “trial” and error along the way.
This handbook is intended especially for newer expert witnesses. The first section answers many questions novice experts have: “Why do expert witnesses matter?”, “How do trials work and how do expert witnesses fit into them?”, “Would I be a good expert witness and if so, how can I get the opportunity?”
Subsequently, we take a deep dive into best practices, sharing suggestions for reports, depositions, and testimony; as well as project management, billing, and legal tips that will improve the odds of successful engagements. Similarly, even seasoned experts may find valuable takeaways from the experiences and recommendations shared in these chapters.
Please note: We are not attorneys. This handbook is solely based on what we’ve learned working with experts and attorneys over the years. Where guidance from the attorney you are working with differs from what we outline here, follow the attorney’s advice. Nothing in this document should be construed as legal advice.
Expert witnesses matter. Not only is being one interesting and potentially lucrative, but great subject matter experts help lawyers, judges, and juries sift through and make sense of complicated litigation. We invite you to join us in becoming better expert witnesses by reading excerpts from this book linked below. Whether you are taking your first steps or have been around the block a few times, we hope this book helps you become a more successful and more knowledgeable expert.
And, if you want to further refine your craft, please join us at The Expert Witness Club, where we have speakers, discussion, and are working on the next edition of the Handbook.
Excerpts from The Expert Witness Handbook
- Why are Expert Witnesses Important?
- A Brief History of the Expert Witness
- Am I Qualified to Be an Expert Witness?