During high-profile court cases with much hanging in the scales of justice, the stakes are through the roof.
The prosecution and defense will pull out all the stops to increase their chances of a successful outcome for their respective clients. In addition to the judge presiding over the whole affair, jurors will sit in a boxed-off section of the courtroom. Not all trials involve juries, but many do.
Juries, made up of people from all walks of life, will be tasked with listening to lawyers from both sides, witnesses, and the judge before rendering a verdict. It’s a lot to ask of people with no legal background.
Considering how much is at stake, lawyers at both ends of the court might pull out their proverbial ace cards — expert witnesses — to hammer home their legal arguments.
Expert witnesses are professionals expected to enlighten the judge and jury about highly complex concepts — breaking things down into layman’s terms that are better understood.
But if you’re called to jury duty and must rely on the testimony of one or more expert witnesses, you’ll want to know you can trust whatever comes out of the mouths of such supposed experts.
Here are five ways you can be reasonably certain that expert witnesses know their stuff.
- Check Their Credentials
Consider the expert witness’ credentials. You can check their education, certifications, work experience, and even previous experience in providing expert witness testimony in their relevant field. You’ll want to know expert witnesses truly know their stuff so you can trust their testimony.
- Evaluate Their Objectivity
Even though an expert witness is typically hired by the defense or the prosecutor, their role is to provide unbiased and objective information rather than to slant their testimony to fit the narrative of whichever side hired them.
So, if you’re on jury duty and find that an expert witness seems to be more of an advocate for one side than a provider of impartial expert information, you’ll have reason to question whether or not the information is worth considering. Impartiality is what’s expected from expert witnesses.
- Analyze Their Published Work
It’s also a good idea to research any published works from expert witnesses. The odds are that they’ll have research papers, books, and articles if they advertise their services as providers of expert witness testimony.
Looking into their past work can show you whether or not the expert witnesses truly have the breadth of experience they should.
- Assess Their Courtroom Experience
Looking back at previous expert witness testimony is also a good idea. If an expert witness has experience in that capacity, that should give you some confidence that the expert has the professional credentials and the trial experience to back up their status as an expert witness.
- Check for Consistency
When listening to expert witness testimony in court, you should also check for consistency. What you don’t want to hear is contradictions that confuse more than they enlighten. The expert should offer consistent testimony that helps you render the right verdict at the end.
If they’re contradicting themselves during testimony or cross-examination, you’ll have reason to take what they say with a grain of salt. You might even want to raise the issue with the judge at the appropriate time.
Expert witnesses serve a useful role in court cases. When cases involve complex matters, these experts help to explain the issues in terms that non-experts can understand. But if serving on a jury, you’ll want to know for sure that an expert’s testimony is valid.
You can use these five points to determine how trustworthy an expert witness is.
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