Who Can Serve as a Mentor for Expert Witnesses?

Expert witnesses that proceed to a case or claim often have a mentor that helps them through the process of becoming a courtroom expert. This generally requires a certain amount of training to present evidence to the court. The professional will need to know the procedure from start to finish in handling the lawyers, judge or jury. The other knowledge about the case or claim involves using standard or approved methods of testing, interpreting the results and applying them to the courtroom parties for information. The last important part is to unravel and remove confusion with the evidence and the test results.

Mentoring Services

Mentors to expert witnesses often come from the same educational background or from a work situation. The mentor may already have been part of a case or claim in the courtroom. Service that he or she may impart to the new expert

witness may include writing reports, training how to present evidence and how to assist the legal team in the subject matter. Testimony preparation is important, and this may include critiques and suggestions to improve for the future testimony. The mentor may also proceed through a mock examination and give the professional feedback on his or her methods.

The Mentor to an Expert Witness

If the expert witness in a case comes from a specific scientific background such as a doctor or lab technician, he or she usually has a mentor in the same or a similar field. The person that guides his or her hand in testing methods, reading results and basing opinions on outcomes from the tests may train or work with the person in the same company or organization. For medical professionals, this relationship may exist in the same hospital. Mentoring services occur through applications testing and experience on the job. Others require field work such as on a site where someone suffered an injury.

Mentoring for testing evidence is more focused and requires dedication to discovering facts and interpreting data. Some with a strong scientific background will work in labs and apply their skills and talents solely to find the why and how behind something. Mentors in these fields generally work over or with the professional and may teach him or her about new ideas or concepts constantly. Gradual understanding of the tests and results is normal. These fields often take years of study and experience. When becoming an expert witness, the professional may still attend classes or receive certifications in the future to expand his or her knowledge of a subject.

Consultants to the Expert

Some mentors are former consultants in a courtroom setting that provide assistance to a lawyer in determining with professional would make an expert witness that would help with the subject matter and knows how to obtain reliable results from testing methods. Many consultants work or have worked with experts in the past. Some mentor directly with a working relationship that could last years. Others provide assistance, so the expert may understand what is necessary to progress through a case or claim in the courtroom. These consultants are often in similar fields as the new professional, but if one is not available in a related field, someone with relevant knowledge may take the place of another.

Some experts must seek out a mentor to progress through testing methods, to understand the results of tests, to clear confusion about a certain subject or to help in the courtroom and proceed with the case or claim. Other experts acquire a mentor through a continued presence with legal matters. Some professionals are part of a legal process and become acquainted with another professional that is often a mentor for others in the courthouse. Accidental meetings may provide future correspondence for the professional to learn from the other person.

Mentorship for an Expert Witness

The relationship between professionals and mentors is important for learning and acquiring new knowledge and skills. By searching for a mentor or remaining open to one helping, the professional may become a reliable expert witness for a lawyer in cases or claims in the courtroom.

Provided by HG.org

Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer.