Learn How to Excel and Succeed as an Expert Witness
steve
About Steve Babitsky
Steven Babitsky, Esq. is the founder of SEAK, Inc., the Expert Witness Training Company. He was a personal injury trial attorney for twenty years and is the former managing partner of the firm Kistin, Babitsky, Latimer & Beitman. Steve has helped expert witnesses and their attorneys prepare for deposition in a broad range of cases, including antitrust, patent, medical malpractice, wrongful death, computer forensics, and many others. He has trained the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration, and he has worked with numerous forensic and financial companies including Fortune 500 companies and has
worked with numerous experts to help them expand and grow their practices. Mr. Babitsky is the co-author of the texts How to Be an Effective Expert Witness at Deposition and Trial: The SEAK Guide to Testifying as an Expert Witness, How to Be a Successful Expert Witness: SEAK’s A–Z Guide to Expert Witnessing, How to Write an Expert Witness Report, and How to Market Your Expert Witness Practice Evidence-Based Practices. Attorney Babitsky is the co-developer and trainer for the “How to Be an Effective Expert Witness” seminar and has been the seminar leader since 1990 for the Annual National Expert Witness and Litigation Conference.
***The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information.***
Jury instructions regarding expert witnesses are outlined in Arkansas’s Model Civil Jury Instructions, Rule 107. Ark. Model Jury Instr. Civil 107 (2016). This rule instructs the jury that experts are individuals who have special education or expertise related to the subject of their testimony. Id. Additionally, the rule instructs that expert witnesses are permitted [...]
Jury instructions regarding expert witnesses are outlined in Connecticut’s Criminal Jury Instructions, § 3.13. CONN. CRIMINAL JURY INSTR. § 3.13 (2016). This rule instructs the jury that testimony from expert witnesses is not binding on the jury, and the jury is not required to accept said testimony. Id. Additionally, when the jury is considering [...]
Jury instructions regarding expert witnesses in Alabama are outlined in Alabama Pattern Jury Instructions, Civil rule 15.06. ALA. PATTERN JURY INSTR. 15.06 (2016). This rule instructs the jury to consider the expert’s testimony in light of all other evidence presented, as the expert testimony is to aid the jury in understanding difficult portions of [...]
Jury instructions regarding expert witnesses in Missouri are not outlined in Missouri’s jury instructions. Instead, case law provides a basis for how the jury should be instructed regarding expert witnesses. The jury should be instructed that it is not bound to the testimony of any or all experts, and the jury should determine what [...]
Jury instructions regarding expert witnesses in Minnesota are outlined in Minnesota’s Jury Instruction Guides, Civil rule 12.30. MINN. PRACTICE JURY INSTR. GUIDES CIVIL RULE 12.30 (2017). This rule explains to the jury that experts are permitted to testify to their opinions on the matter at hand because of their expertise. Id. The rule instructs [...]
Jury instructions regarding expert witnesses in Maryland are outlined in Maryland’s Civil Pattern Jury Instructions, Rule 1:4. MD. CIVIL PATTERN JURY INSTR. 1:4 (2017). This rule instructs the jury that when evaluating all evidence presented, it should “give expert testimony the weight and value” the jury feels it should be given. Id. Additionally, the [...]
Jury instructions regarding expert witnesses in Indiana are outlined in Indiana’s Model Civil Jury Instructions, Rule 307. IND. MODEL CIVIL JURY INSTR. 307 (2016). These rules instruct the jury that expert witnesses are permitted to testify to opinions relating to the case at hand based on the expert’s “knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education.” [...]
Jury instructions regarding expert witnesses in Colorado are outlined in Colorado’s Jury Instructions, Rule 3:15. Colo. Jury Instr., Civil Rule 3:15 (2017). This rules explains that expert witnesses are qualified to be experts because of their “education, training, or experience.” Id. The jury is told to evaluate expert testimony the same way it evaluates [...]
Jury instructions in Michigan are outlined in Michigan’s Model Civil Jury Instructions, Rule 4.01. MICH. MODEL CIVIL JURY INSTR. 4.01 (1993). This rule applies to all witnesses, including experts. Id. The rule instructs the jury that it has the authority to determine what witnesses to believe and how much weight to afford each expert [...]
Jury instructions regarding witnesses in Massachusetts are outlined in Massachusetts’s Superior Court Civil Practice Jury Instructions, §1.2.8. MASS. SUP. CT. CIVIL PRACTICE JURY INSTR. § 1.2.8 (2016). There is not a separate rule for expert witnesses, but §1.2.8 applies to all witnesses. Id. This rule instructs the jury to decide what witnesses to believe [...]