Expert Qualification, Designation & Declarations

Introduction

Having the right expert or experts on your side when it comes to litigation can make or break a case. Expert Qualification, Designation & Declarations is a one-hour overview of the process for successfully (1.) deciding what expertise you need, (2.) finding qualified experts, (3.) designating experts in litigation, (4.) working together to compose expert declarations, and (5.) navigating some of the complexities of managing a team of experts. We will discuss some of the nuances and complexity of selecting experts with significant litigation experience versus deep, specialized industry experience, but little or no experience with testimony. Experts with the right combination of knowledge, skill, experience, and the ability to communicate technical information to non-technical people, so that the audience can make informed and intelligent decisions, is a rare package. And some people you think would make a great expert just fold like a lawn chair under cross-examination, even when they are right! Throughout our program, we will be reviewing case studies and examples of awesome work. We will begin with a quick review of another PFCS seminar, Expert Witness Success, which is closely related to this material.

This program is for insurance and legal professionals who hire and manage expert witnesses and expert teams.

Learning Objectives

• Overview of expert witness success

• Overview and discussion of expert qualifications

• Discussion and review sample expert designations

• Discussion and review sample expert declarations

• Discussion of expert teams and avoiding duplicative testimony

Program Outline

1. Introduction

2. Expert Witness Success

3. Qualifications

4. Designations

5. Declarations

6. Expert Teams

7. Conclusions