{"id":2524,"date":"2014-01-06T06:13:21","date_gmt":"2014-01-06T13:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=2524"},"modified":"2014-01-02T16:14:00","modified_gmt":"2014-01-02T23:14:00","slug":"likable-expert-witness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/likable-expert-witness\/","title":{"rendered":"How Likable Should an Expert Witness Be?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Billy L. Akin &#8211; December 6, 2013<\/p>\n<p>Credibility\u2026..a vital ingredient of an expert witness. How about \u201clikability\u201d? Is this trait involved in the effectiveness of presenting testimony?<\/p>\n<p>Hastening to my conclusion, I think likability is crucial. Does this overall perception of another human not make a difference? When \u201cyour honor\u201d puts on the robe and citizens enter the jury box, they retain the same human perception of others. Take the test yourself. As an attorney, you have a strong sensitivity for solid facts and conclusive proof. However, does not a likable personality affect your perception of information being given you?<\/p>\n<p>A fellow-member of the CPCU Society\u2019s Coverage, Litigators, Educators and Witness Interest Group, Kevin Quinley, recently authored a thoughtful article on this subject. This was published in one of our Society of Charter Property Casualty Underwriters\u2019 newsletters. With Kevin\u2019s permission, I share a few of his thoughts:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn expert witness\u2019s effectiveness flows from many factors: subject matter expertise, communication skills, and emotional self-control in stressful situations. Often overlooked is the witness\u2019s connection with jurors. Consider whether the expert witness seems to be approachable or arrogant. If jurors like the expert witness, they will be more open to accepting his or her credibility and options.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To me, this trait of likability must not, cannot, replace cold hard preparation and presentation of facts and sincere opinions. One would be challenged to define the term \u201clikability\u201d, however, it is one of those traits that \u201cyou know it when you see it\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Kevin continues,<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen two qualified experts have equally supported but opposite opinions, time and time again jurors will favor the better witness, the witness whom they feel more comfortable supporting. Abundant credentials plus meager likability produce an expert witness who comes off as arrogant, aloof, and detached. A surfeit of likability but little credibility produces a cringe-inducing lightweight. Superb expert witnesses combine rock-solid credentials, credibility, and a pleasing package of appearance, communication skills, and demeanor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Given his years of experience, not to mention his professional designations of CPCU, AIC, ARM, ARe, AIM, and RPA, I highly respect Kevin\u2019s thoughts. If you would like a copy of his article, let me know. Professionalism demands that an expert witness, and engaging attorney, be concerned with likability as well as credibility, of any expert witness. Think about it.<\/p>\n<p>via <a href=\"http:\/\/pcandsblog.wordpress.com\/2013\/12\/06\/how-likable-should-an-expert-witness-be\/#!\">How Likable Should an Expert Witness Be? | Insurance Expert Witness Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Billy L. Akin &#8211; December 6, 2013 Credibility\u2026..a vital ingredient of an expert witness. How about \u201clikability\u201d? Is this trait involved in the effectiveness of presenting testimony? Hastening to my conclusion, I think likability is crucial. Does this overall perception of another human not make a difference? When \u201cyour honor\u201d puts on the robe and&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/likable-expert-witness\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How Likable Should an Expert Witness Be?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-2524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-expert-witness","tag-expert-witness-2","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Likable Should an Expert Witness Be? - Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/likable-expert-witness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Likable Should an Expert Witness Be? - Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Billy L. Akin &#8211; December 6, 2013 Credibility\u2026..a vital ingredient of an expert witness. How about \u201clikability\u201d? Is this trait involved in the effectiveness of presenting testimony? Hastening to my conclusion, I think likability is crucial. Does this overall perception of another human not make a difference? 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