So You Want to Be an Expert Witness
summary
Practical roadmap for becoming an expert witness: how attorneys search, hire, and prepare experts; the Daubert factors that gatekeep admissible opinions; concrete examples — a patent fight over an X.509 directory that is withdrawn after expert analysis, an Arizona open API (Dealer Management System) lawsuit that reaches testimony, and a rushed “Rhino With No Clothes” case where a non‑forensic hard drive conversion destroys metadata and a judge orders experts in 10 days. Covers spoliation, key‑escrow failures, fee rules (no contingency), depositions and simple teaching tactics that actually work.
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chapters (11)
- 0:00Introduction to expert roles
- 3:56Types of legal witnesses
- 7:12Gatekeeping and admissibility
- 11:37Retaining an expert
- 15:42Qualities of a good expert
- 20:29Legal concepts and discovery
- 25:55Spoliation and evidence
- 31:12Tasks of an expert witness
- 37:29Compensation and reports
- 41:30Trial and testimony
- 50:58Closing advice
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