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Legal Expert Witness Research Paper

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Keywords: legal expert witness, expert witness

What Do Legal Expert Witnesses Do?

A legal expert witness is a special type of expert witness. Legal expert witnesses are hired by attorneys who have been accused of some sort of wrongdoing by a former client. These experts address issues involving fees, the duties of attorneys, and other issues that arise during the legal representation of clients. When an attorney has been accused of legal malpractice, these experts step in to help determine whether the attorney committed errors during the representation.

Attorneys accused of malpractice are often stressed and emotional and may not think clearly about their case. These attorneys may overlook important pieces of evidence that may help their case. However, with a legal expert witness on the case, the gathering of evidence will go much more smoothly. …show more content…

In an expert report, the legal expert witness will lay out the elements of malpractice and how the attorney’s actions did or did not meet these requirements. The witness may also offer testimony during a deposition on the nature of the claim. After the deposition transcript or the expert report has been reviewed by opposing counsel, the claim may be settled or even dismissed. These witnesses understand how to present the strengths and weaknesses of claims to opposing counsel, which may change their positions in the case.

Legal malpractice claims are often difficult for jurors to fully understand. First, they must determine that the attorney committed some sort of wrong, and that, had this wrong not been committed, the outcome of the case would have been better for the client. Next, the jury must determine that the attorney’s actions were inappropriate under the jurisdiction’s standards. Legal expert witnesses help explain these elements to jurors so they are easier to understand.

How Expert Witnesses Strengthen Your

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