Abuse of expert witnesses is very common according to James J. Mangraviti Jr., Esq. Here is what attorney Mangraviti had to say about this abuse. Q. Attorney Mangraviti, how common is abuse of expert witnesses by retaining counsel? All too common. When I teach and mentor expert witnesses I emphasize to them that they are [...]
The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma (Ellison v. Campbell, Case # 108468, March 11, 2014) has upheld a $408,000 verdict against an expert witness for breach of contract. The expert was accused of and admitted at deposition to substandard performance in preparing expert materials in the underlying litigation. The damages were calculated as [...]
Experienced expert witnesses recognize that most of the challenges and programs they face is in fact with retaining and not opposing counsel. Attorney Steven Babitsky, president of SEAK, Inc. has identified the top 11 abuses that experts need to be aware of. These include: Failure to pay Refusal to prepare you Refusal to protect you [...]
Expert witnessing can be an excellent way for professors to supplement their incomes. Expert witnesses earn hundreds of dollars per hour for their time (I recently had a marketing professor in my class who billed his time out at $650/hour). Best of all, most expert witness work consists of research, document review, report writing and [...]
Expert witness qualifications are governed by Federal Rule of Evidence 702 which states: A witness who is qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education may testify in the form of an opinion or otherwise if: (a) the expert’s scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will help the trier of fact to [...]
We are often asked if retired people can do expert witness work. The short answer is, yes. Expert witnesses in Federal Court are governed by Federal Rule of Evidence 702, which states: Rule 702. Testimony by Expert Witnesses A witness who is qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education may testify [...]
SEAK has announced that its highly acclaimed interactive training program, How to Be an Effective Expert Witness, will be offered on Thursday and Friday September 19-20, 2013 at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in Falmouth, MA. How to Be an Effective Expert Witness is a small group, hands-on, fast-moving interactive workshop covering deposition, direct [...]
SEAK’s Jim Mangraviti had the pleasure of teaching How to Start, Build, and Run a Forensic Engineering Practice for the American Society of Civil Engineers on March 21-22, 2013 in Oak Brook, IL. Jim has been teaching continuing education courses for ASCE since 2000. In this fast moving interactive seminar, a group of experienced civil [...]
Expert Opinion Normally, witnesses in a trial are limited to testifying to what they have perceived. That is, what they saw, smelled, tasted, heard, etc. An expert witness is a special kind of witness. An expert witness can offer an expert opinion when testifying. Expert witness testimony is governed by Federal Rule of Evidence 702, [...]
Expert Witness Qualifications The qualifications required of an expert witness are governed by Federal Rule of Evidence 702, which states: Rule 702. Testimony by Expert Witnesses A witness who is qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education may testify in the form of an opinion or otherwise if: (a) the [...]