SEAK specializes in helping expert witnesses perform at the highest level in depositions, hearings and trials. We have vast experience preparing expert witnesses to testify and retroactively reviewing and critiquing their deposition and trial transcripts. In either case our goal is the same: to show you how to be an exceptional expert witness at deposition and trial. 

Expert Witness Trial and Deposition Preparation:

We have prepared hundreds of expert witnesses in high stakes cases such as patent infringement, product liability, capital murder, antitrust, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury.

Expert Witness Transcript Review (Retroactive):

We have been retained to provide detailed line-by-line reviews and critiques of hundreds of expert witness deposition and trial transcripts. We also review video recorded expert testimony.

TIME FRAME, LOGISTICS, COSTS/VALUE: Our training is typically done via video conference or in person. We can typically set up a training session or complete a transcript review on only a few days notice if need be. Our fees are time based and will depend on case complexity and the length of the training/review proposed. 1-1 expert witness assistance from SEAK is often surprisingly affordable as our vast experience allows us to work very quickly & efficiently. 

If you would like to discuss upcoming testimony please contact Jim Mangraviti, Esq. (978)-276-1234 or click here

Testimonials

“Hi Jim: I testified this morning, and I could not wait to share with you the wonderful result. Her [murder] sentence was reduced from life without the possibility of parole to 20 years she’s eligible for parole. She’s served 8 already.  That was the lowest sentence the judge was able to give her. The judge made a powerful statement from the bench about how the evolution of understanding things that we didn’t understand generations ago. Clearly, she got my testimony, and she heard it and the prosecutor was so out of control, and the more enraged he became the calmer I got, he scored no points with me and aggravated the judge. Look forward to getting back in touch on the next case. Thanks as always.”

“Nadine.  I ended my trial appearance an hour ago.   I started first thing this morning and was myself on the stand for the whole day. My time with you was very worthwhile.  I think preparation is so important.  I prepared intensely (including with you) and walked into the courtroom with a confidence I had not had before the preparation.  As a result, the day on the stand was easy. The direct testimony was completely scripted in advance and went in smoothly as written.  (The opposing attorney rendered no Objections.)  The cross-examination by the opposing attorney was two or three orders of magnitude easier than the role play with you.  It was like the baseball batter on deck doing practice swings with a baseball bat made of iron, and then in the actual at-bat, using a bat made of wood.  It was a delight working with you. Many thanks for your help.”

“Hi Jim, I had my deposition earlier today.  Retaining counsel said I did “fantastic” and opposing counsel even complimented me on my reports. THANK YOU for all of your help!”

“I want you to know I testified in court for the first time a couple of weeks ago at state court in California (Nadine- you helped me prep back in February on this one and it got continued to now). Once I got over my initial anxiety, I leaned in and grabbed the questions on cross and ‘zoomed out’ when opposing counsel was trying to corner me – it was actually a lot of fun. My point – I was well prepared and your training and guidance got me there – so thank you!!”

“Thank you very much, Jim. Your very helpful prep last week is the reason I was able to get through the Depo yesterday.”

“Nadine,  I wanted to let you know how grateful I am for your coaching. Watch out, you have a customer for life.  I went into trial last Tuesday with confidence thanks to you. AND the attorney DID wave a packet of papers at me….so I DID request to see the packet. He was indeed trying to trick me. I was able to call his bluff. Ticked him off.  You had told me to be prepared for that and to ask to see the papers. Had you not said that, I may have fallen for the trick.”

“Just wanted you to know that I did my deposition today. It wasn’t perfect, but the retaining attorney was pleased and told me that I didn’t sound like a first time witness. I was SO much more prepared after your help. Thank you so much!”

“Hi, Nadine.  The judge finally issued her decision on the bench trial in November that you helped me prepare for: A WIN!  As is clear from the attached, where I am cited extensively, that the judge’s findings relied a lot on my testimony.  In particular, the ‘Conclusion’ paragraph spanning pages 13 and 14 states that she ‘considered the testimony of [opposing side’s expert], but finds [my] testimony more compelling.’  Thank you for helping make my testimony more compelling.”

“Your deposition training was invaluable! The deposition went for 8 hours, 7 of which were on the record (!!!!), and that’s because opposing counsel kept saying that I gave “very long, and very thorough answers.” I was able to formulate my standard of care opinions in a more comprehensive and easy to understand manner after meeting with you, and the causation opinion… well… it existed. These experiences, and the SEAK course from earlier this year both help inform what types of opinions I now offer at the beginning of cases. Despite the weaknesses in my opinions that I perceived, retaining counsel was very pleased and said he gave me an A+”

“I just wanted to follow-up on the deposition you helped me prepare for in November. That experience was invaluable! I was SO much more prepared for it (but still had some areas of stumbling) had I not trained with you.”

“Jim, Kelly, Thank you so much for working me in this week for the 1:1 on short notice. My first trial is over, and I deeply appreciate what you do.  The cross really did not have much for me that you did not prepare me for. Thank you again for all the work you do at SEAK.”

“Attorney was very pleased with my depo.  Big thanks!!!”

“Nadine, I think the attorneys were pleased.  During the break, they said I was doing great.  I was cross-examined on several parts of my depo you and I went over.  I want to thank you again.  Your expert preparation of me instilled a level of confidence that mitigated my anxiety and set me up for any blows the cross exam could deliver.”

“Jim! I believe I totally knocked it out of the park at depo. Thank you sir to you and Kelly!”

“Nadine, I wanted to let you know the trial went great. I was relaxed, applied what you recommended, and really enjoyed it. The District Attorney and other Prosecutors were very impressed with my performance. Thank you for your help and I look forward to learning more from you and the whole team.”

“Hi Jim, Hi Kelly, My testimony went well yesterday. Thank goodness and Thank YOU!, I was exceedingly well-prepared. It feels so good to have this first one behind me!”

“[The Trial] went extremely well. Thank you for your help, Jim.”

“My deposition was today – all 4+ hours of it – and I’m feeling really good about how it went.  I so appreciate your showing me the ropes and helping to build my confidence. This first time out for me it was especially important to know how to best prepare and to not get rattled in the process. I’m proud  to say … I passed both tests.”

“[Retaining Counsel] was quite pleased!  Thank you very much again, Jim! I don’t think I could have done well at all without the prep from you.”

“Jim, The attorney who defended my deposition yesterday morning wrote the below [highly complimentary] email to other attorneys in his office yesterday afternoon.  It was a success!  Big thanks for your help!”

“Jim, I wanted to let you know that yesterday’s deposition went very well, possibly the best I’ve done so far.  My success wouldn’t have been possible without your exceptional coaching!  Again, thank you for not only helping me, but making yourself so accessible.”

“Jim, I don’t want to make your head explode, but you are a great coach.  You have been incredibly helpful in preparing me for this deposition.”

“I just completed my training with Nadine. It was incredibly valuable and thank you Nadine! I was like a sponge and as an old guy that doesn’t happen much; I really learned valuable stuff.”

“Hi Nadine, I meant to email you last night and thank you.  It went about 5 hours (3hrs direct, 2hrs cross)….I felt very well prepared and counsel was thrilled with how it went.  Thanks again for all your help!”

“Nadine – I finally had my deposition yesterday and it went very well. It lasted less than four hours, and retaining counsel was very complimentary after it was over. Just wanted to thank you again for helping provide the guidance that you did. Opposing counsel tried a few of the strategies we had discussed, like repeating the same questions a hundred times, but I held my ground. Overall it was a good experience and I very much appreciate the time we spent together in advance.”

“[Jim and Kelly], My deposition went well, thanks to your great assistance.  Bullets, confidence and persistence guided my way. Thanks so much for your time and value to education.”

“Hi Nadine! I wanted to follow up with you to let you know the jury gave a no cause verdict yesterday on the case I testified in on Friday. I know that my testimony was better because of your help. The cross examining lawyer was very aggressive with me and he was clearly agitated and shaking when I wouldn’t back down, it was a solid fight. I kept seeing you in my head saying… listen to what is being asked.  He asked questions that you predicted. Thank you very much for everything. Until next time!!! Take care.”

“We won our case and got a verdict of 1 million dollars!!! Thank you for your help and work on the case.”

“Dr. [SEAK prepped] totally rocked that deposition. Thank you, Steve.”

“Jim, my deposition went from 10 to 4:30. It was long! I actually enjoyed the whole experience!
I couldn’t have done it without the extra preparation from you yesterday. I am very grateful for your teaching.  At the end of the depo the retaining plaintiff attorney said that I killed it. I really like [what you did] because it is so effective! Thank you so much, Jim.”

“Jim, it went very well! I followed your advice and had so much fun. I got to use two analogies! (Road map and cardiac arrest with late script.) [Retaining Counsel] approved for me to bring visual aids and she let defense counsel know beforehand. I got the posters done 16×20 this weekend. Worked!  Thank you so much for the prep. You are the superb master. Will share the videorecording later. :))”

“Jim. Dep went extremely well. 7 1/2 hours including half hour standing at end of room pointing to various activity on screen. Client said I earned the best dinner available in [city of deposition]. Called the senior partner and gave me an “A”. Thank you for your guidance. I felt well prepared and ready [to] enter the Lion’s Den. I was ready. Thank you again.”

“Jim, Nice comment from the court reporter at depo this week. In her late 60s I’m guessing. Walking out together she said I was one of the top 3 experts she ever encountered in her career. I thanked her and asked why. She said calm, cool, didn’t fall for tricks, organized, prepared with extra copies, knew the case cold, listened carefully, educated counsel without being arrogant, clearly top of my field. Wow! Thanks to SEAK training and your coaching.”

“Hi Jim: Been meaning to give you an update about the recent hearing. The attorneys couldn’t have been more laudatory about my testimony, both on direct and cross. Thank you as always.”

“Steve, Thank you so much for your advice and guidance.  Your work is greatly appreciated. After our training I feel much more confident.”

“Hey Jim I just got the verdict back – we won big on the basis of my [testimony]. It’s incredible to me how well this ended up going, just extraordinary. You made this happen, Jim. this is fantastic, very exciting.”

“I was totally prepared and felt comfortable. I’m glad I went the extra step with you and thank you for that.”

“Steve, You were the silent ingredient in this major victory. This verdict would have been much less likely without your skills and commitment.”

“Dear Jim, My trial went very well. Thank you for your prep. I really feel your prep helped me to really do a good job. Happy holidays.”

“Hi Jim, I just found out  the verdict on the case we worked on. This case has been tried 3 times and they do say the third time is the charm. That couldn’t be truer- jury found her insane! Thank you so much for all the help you gave me towards that end!”

“Hi Nadine, I went to trial last August and was on the stand for over 3 hours but your tips and coaching were very helpful and I stayed cool under fire giving up nothing useful on cross examination–the family of the plaintiff even came up to me afterward and said I was the best public speaker they had ever seen in person. Thanks for all your help.”

“Hi Jim: Just got back from [the murder trial]. Things went very well. Thank you as always for helping me. It makes such a difference in my confidence level and over time cross examination is getting easier for me. Direct has never been an issue. The attorney was really pleased. I’ll let you know what the results are.”

“Dear Jim, I just completed [the] deposition. I perceived it as very smooth on my end, and felt in control the entire time. The opposing counsel did not seem very happy, as she did not appear to make any headway with the issues she raised. The retaining counsel kept telling me that he was very impressed, and indicated that he would like me to testify at the court. I assume that he liked my testimony, because I had told him in advance that significant cost would be involved if I were to travel to testify (the trial is in a remote location). As always, thank you so much for your help! I couldn’t have done it without what you taught me in private and in SEAK meetings! Thank you, and looking forward to working with you the next time!”

“Jim, The session was so helpful to me and I feel more prepared. As usual, you pointed out great points I had not thought of for depo. Thank you very much.”

“Just finished my testimony.  It went extremely well, thanks again for helping me prep.”

“[Deposition] went great!  Your help was so critical.”

“[The] Lawyers hired [a jury consulting] firm to help us prepare for trial.  We had one meeting/work session with them. I wasn’t too impressed. Your service is better.”

“Jim, Thanks again for your prep! It was so invaluable!”

“Jim, If I could give you a kiss and thank you I would.  You  totally saved my ass – it  went really well. Thank you so much you saved me and I so tremendously appreciate it.”

“The lawyers are very pleased. Thank you so much for all the help with prep!!!  By the time I got there today I felt so much more comfortable as a result of our session.  I can’t thank you enough!”

“Hi Jim: We finally heard back from the judge on the Daubert motion.  The court denied the Daubert motion!  We are up for trial next week. Thanks again for your help.”

“Hi Jim, Wow!  4 hours of deposition!! I’m a rookie so I don’t know exactly how it feels to do well versus not doing well but I think I did really well. Your advice, over the phone and in the references from SEAK, made a huge difference in my abilities and overall effectiveness.”

“Jim:  I just finished the Deposition. It went well. Thank you again for your insights they were very helpful.”

“Jim:  [My deposition] went very well. Client was happy and thought it went as good as he could of thought.  Thanks again for all of your help – I felt very well prepared in large part as a result of our work together.”

“Steve, I can’t thank you enough for your help in preparing me for my [trial] testimony. My testimony went extremely well–kind of a peak experience for me professionally.”

“Went great today. Thanks for the help. Retaining counsel was very happy.  Scroll down [to see what retaining counsel wrote to my boss]…………’The plaintiff is putting on its case, and made the mistake of calling *expert* to the stand today to try to extract some opinions adverse to our client. [He] really damaged their case. His courtroom presence and demeanor were exceptional. He was able to explain complex concepts through simple examples and sketches to make things very understandable but at the same time make our most important point. Even harder to believe is that it was his first time testifying at trial in front of a jury. Bottom line –  he was outstanding and I thought you would want to know.'”

“Lawyer said it went great and wanted a hug afterwards. ‘You saved my case’. Opposing counsel covered everything we discussed.”

“Jim – The decision finally came down – [My client] won 100% on [the issues I testified on].  The lawyers all seem very pleased with the outcome. Thanks for all of your help preparing for this deposition and trial.  It made all of the difference in my effectiveness.”

“Steve, Thank you for your help in preparing me for my deposition. I followed your advice in knowing the timeline cold, knowing my opinions and the standard of care for each of those opinions cold and in anticipating the questions I would be asked.  At times the defendant’s attorney seemed exasperated with my answers and I seemed to have brought up issues that he had not anticipated. After the deposition I was texted by the attorney who asked me to be his expert witness: ‘Fantastic job!  Thank you for being so prepared!’ Thank you again for preparing me so well!”

“I just wanted to thank you again for helping me with [the] case. Your input has so enhanced the strength of my opinion.”

“Hi Jim:  I wanted to let you know that I blew it out of the park this afternoon [at the Daubert hearing]. I was qualified and just want you to know how unbelievably valuable our preparation was. I was able to just pull things from our conversation and really held my own.  Thank you again.”

“Jim,  The phone deposition [you trained me for] went well. I was well prepared and able to respond confidently to questions asked.  I now feel better prepared not only for testimony but also to be more thorough and more specific in answering and documenting questions proposed in IMEs, etc. Thanks again.”

“I want to thank you again.  Everything you pointed out was brought up, and I was able to respond.  At the end of the deposition, opposing counsel gave me his card and said he would be contacting me for a case.  Again, many thanks for your help.”

“Hi Nadine,  Deposition went very smoothly, easily. Thank you for your help. I will contact you whenever I have another deposition.”

“I wanted to give you an update on the case you had helped me with. The trial has come and gone.  It went well and defense got a complete defense verdict so the attorneys were very pleased. After the verdict, they spoke with the jurors.  Apparently, they liked me most of all of the experts, mainly because they felt that I had relied on the facts and did not come off working for either side.  While I’d like to take credit for that, truth is I attribute the outcome to what I have learned from you and the SEAK conferences that I have attended, and I shared that with the hiring attorneys as well.  Anyway, just wanted to give you feedback and thank you again for your help.”

“My depo went great. The attorney said great job. He was so pleased and I was thrilled how it went. You prepping over the last few months for these depo’s has really built up my self confidence. Thanks Nadine a million times over. I think you are very tough and that’s what makes me strong!!!!!”

“[My Deposition] went great, fabulous. I am so excited. It was a wonderful prep not only for this case however for all my other cases. I certainly went in with confidence, [Retaining Counsel] said, OK drum roll “You are the best presenting expert I have ever seen”. I was all smiles. I will still stay humble and that does not go to my head although it did feel good.  So this was all worth it and I am so happy I did this with you. Thank you so very much Nadine. I love working with you.”

“I think you are beyond wonderful.  You have no idea how this has helped.  Thank you a million times over again.  I want to do this many more times with you for depositions.”

“Thank you for all your advice! And all your books!  Regarding the report, I did pretty much what you recommended.  By doing so, I totally undermined the attack that opposing counsel planned for me! Also, from reading the other depositions it was clear that this lawyer likes to machinegun questions at you. Retaining counsel was very anxious because opposing counsel had used this aggressive questioning technique along with leading the witnesses, intimidating, and interrupting, to chew up all the other witnesses.  I promptly applied all the strategies from your books, ultimately, rendered opposing Counsel speechless. Literally!!!! ;-)).  He was just sitting there with his mouth open!  :-0.   It Was awesome!  Jim, I just wanted to let you know that you, SEAK, your courses, and your books, are just AMAZING!!!!”

“Your depo prep was immensely helpful. Got kudos from all of retaining counsel and unsolicited offers to be references for me as an expert witness. All in all, a success! Thanks”

“Hey, Jim.  I finished my deposition. It was a little over 5 hours.  My retaining attorney told me afterwards that I did awesome, she had no follow up questions and said I did a great job.  During my deposition [she] referred me to another attorney and told [that attorney] to contact me about a case – so she actually recommended me during my deposition to another attorney. I’m so happy – thanks.”

“[Your] training was most helpful [retaining attorney] said I did great.”

“In preparation for the major deposition I engaged Steven Babitsky at SEAK to review my expert report and conduct a full day of one-on-one training. The expert report review significantly sharpened my written analysis of the issues and clarifies my opinion. The daylong training was highly challenging and focused on strategy, critical thinking, and the use of the language for a testifying expert witness in a successful deposition. In my view the insight of the report review and the day’s training was a game changer in terms of my confidence and performance throughout the deposition resulting in attorneys clients who were exceptionally pleased with my level of preparation and performance.”

“You provided precisely the prep I needed to nail this deposition. Thanks!”

“Your preparation of me was extremely valuable. All of the issues you pinpointed came up at trial, and I handled them nimbly, though sometimes on re-direct.”

“Thank you so much for your deposition preparation. The analogies you helped me develop were invaluable during my deposition.”

“My session with you was most helpful in preparing me for meeting with defendant’s counsel as well as the deposition.  Given many of the issues you brought up, I was able to request additional documentation and discuss specific elements with counsel to gain more comfort in statements I had made either in the report or in response to your questions.  Additionally, to be perfectly honest, it was often less stressful and intimidating to respond to the deposing attorney’s questions than it was to yours!  Thank you again for your time in prepping me and reviewing the multiple reports!”

“I did great in the deposition yesterday [which you prepped me for]. I’m so excited.  I couldn’t be happier, this is really working for me. Thank you!”

“Thought I would give you an update and let you know how useful [your] training was.  Your classes and prep work were a great help.  That gave me the foundation, confidence, and foreknowledge of expected tactics to be far more effective than had I gone in there with just technical knowledge.  I largely enjoy[ed] the cross. The [retaining] lawyers were very happy with my testimony  – comment from one was couldn’t believe they have not been using me before.  Your classes and prep really gave me the poise I needed to handle and largely enjoy the cross.”

“The attorney I am working with told me I did a great job! Thanks for your help. It was a great benefit to me!”

“The plaintiff in my recent railroad case prevailed and defendant was found 100% liable. Retaining counsel was very pleased with how I handled confrontational questions on cross-exam.”

“Many thanks, Jim.  [Your 1-1 training] has helped me greatly.  You had pegged the weak spots so I had thought through it and was as well prepared as possible.  They tried the standard routines you demonstrated of ‘you cannot point to a single research report…’ – without preparation I would have been intimidated by that.  The preparation was crucial.  It helped me understand what was going on and stay focused and relaxed.  [Retaining Counsel] seems well satisfied.  Really appreciate your help and training.”

“I did the deposition on the 4th, and I did get some feedback today from [retaining counsel]. He was very pleased, and I think almost thrilled with the way things went. So I thank you all very much, [our prep session] was well worth it.”

“Your help was great; prep was very useful; After the depo, the retaining attorney talked to me for a while and said that it went real good and commented on my memory and organization; there were no errors or “clean up” issues after the depo. Thanks again; it is money well spent.”

“Just to let you know, we did very well at the CSC hearing and received siting approval for the substation. Your training was great introduction for us to understand the level preparation required for to successfully testify on behalf of the company. You are on our list for “expert witness” training for our future needs. Again thanks for your assistance.”

“I appreciated your help. It was probably the toughest 2 consecutive days I’ve had in a very long time – BUT, Steve you helped me get thru. Late Friday [I heard from the lawyers that I had done well]. Now onto trial. Thanks again.”

“Thank you again ever so much [for your prep] on the [recent] case – the lawyer thinks I’m brilliant and I owe you tremendous credit for that!”

“I wanted to thank you so much for your time, it was immeasurable. I appreciate the sensitivity you demonstrated for the particulars of this case. So, again, thank you for your efforts, it was truly a fascinating experience, not to mention extremely helpful.”

“Prep went great today. Thanks to our session, I had my ten pages of great prep material which [retaining counsel] clearly appreciated and were impressed by. I essentially lead the prep and I think [retaining lawyers] clearly saw how seriously [our firm] take[s] testimony and how prepared we are. I felt very studied and prepared. Thanks again”

“Things went very well with my testimony. Your [preparation session] was immensely helpful in dealing with both retaining and opposing counsel.”

“Thank you for your help – [my depo] couldn’t have gone better!!!”

“Very helpful and worthwhile. They asked me everything you said they would and I was very well prepared to answer their questions. ”

“You are amazing.”

“My Depo on the case was yesterday and was 7 hours. Counsel said I did fine, good job!…the preparation paid off…The case settled on the courthouse steps, big win for my client… Since [your prep] I have received about 10 new assignments…too much to handle, almost. Thank you again!”

“[Our expert] rocked it today! Thanks 4 Ur Help”

“I was very pleased with your preparation of our expert witness. The information protocol you suggested will be very beneficial. I have already recommended your services to other counsel.”

“3 words. Ate Their Lunch. You’re the best”

“Your prep helped immensely … I would not have thought of all I needed had I not done that…I did MUCH better thanks to you!! Much appreciated!!!!!”