Salvatore Grillo | Grillo Law Personal Injury Lawyers
Obtaining compensation for damages resulting from the actions of a careless party often requires litigation, wherein your legal representative must demonstrate the cause of an accident or incident. In addition to utilizing eyewitness testimony, official reports, and other forms of documentation to establish the details of your claim, your lawyer may enlist the assistance of an expert witness to aid in the fact-finding process for the court.
The Role Of Expert Witnesses
In legal proceedings, an expert witness is an individual with specialized knowledge in a specific field who is summoned to provide testimony. Their expertise is typically attributed to one or more of the following factors:
- Education
- Professional training
- Work experience
Expert witnesses typically possess a high degree of expertise in a specific domain far exceeding that of the general public. In a trial, their primary responsibility is not to influence the decisionmaking process of the fact-finder. Instead, they provide expert opinion testimony that assists the court in comprehending an intricate matter in a given case. For instance, in a medical malpractice case, your lawyer may present testimony from a doctor to clarify the typical procedures followed during a specific type of surgery. This helps to establish the standard of care.
Standards for Utilizing Expert Witnesses
Before you’re allowed to be an expert witness in court, the following conditions must pre-exist:
- The evidence you intend to present is significantly relevant to the lawsuit
- The testimony will assist the court in making informed decisions
- No rules of the evidence will call for its exclusion
- The witness is qualified to offer an unbiased opinion
To verify the credentials of an expert witness and the pertinence of their testimony, a series of preliminary questions will be posed by your legal counsel. This line of questioning may include queries about the witness’s educational background, certifications, and years of experience in their particular field. The verification process aims to establish the credibility and qualifications of the witness and demonstrate the relevance of their testimony to the case at hand.
Types of Expert Witnesses and How They Can Impact A Case
Expert witnesses are valuable resources for judges seeking to fully comprehend various aspects of your legal case. For instance, medical experts may shed light on the long-term consequences of particular injuries.
Actuaries may offer insight into life expectancies to aid in the assessment of damages. On the other hand, accident reconstruction experts can create computer-generated videos to illustrate a compelling visual representation of the incident.
A visual representation of an accident involving multiple vehicles can effectively supplement the testimony of witnesses who were present at the scene, using data gathered from various sources to create a recreation of the incident.
When one of your cases is in need of a construction expert, estimates, insurance appraisal or umpire services in defect or insurance disputes – please call Advise & Consult, Inc. at 888.684.8305, or email experts@adviseandconsult.net.