3 Ways to Find an Expert Witness
Litigators are nothing without a good expert in their pocket.
You can hang all the billboards you want, make indescribably amazing Super Bowl commercials or really bad ads, and line up dozens of clients in neck braces in your lobby, but without an expert to testify that her neck really is hurting from whiplash, your case is probably hopeless.
It's not just personal injury attorneys that need experts either. Criminal law, patent and IP disputes, and pretty much all litigation can come down to a battle of the experts.
Let's get you armed.
3. Ask a Friend
What's the best way to find a plumber? How about a dentist? Heck, how about a lawyer?
You ask friends for recommendations, of course. In my experience, every litagator has a doctor on speed dial that will give what she hopes will be a fair, honest and helpful assessment of a patient's condition. For run-of-the mill cases, ask around and see if your fellow barristers have any recommendations.
2. Local Bar Association
Are your friends useless? Do you have no friends?
In that case, your local bar association might be able to help you find an expert. Many of these associations have their own lists of local experts and are happy to share. For example, Los Angeles County Bar Association has an entire directory (which, admittedly, looks like it was designed in 1995) of local experts for any field you can imagine.
1. FindLaw's Expert Witness Directory
Yep. We're not just amazing blogs, case law, and marketing. We also have a big ole directory of experts.
Our directory allows you to search by practice area or by state, so you (hopefully) won't have to fly your forensic accountant in from Alaska. And if none of your friends know of a metal roof construction defect expert in Montana, we might just be able to help.
Have an opinion? Tweet us @FindLawLP.
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