Effective Expert Witnessing, Fourth Edition: Practices for the 21st Century - Hardcover

Matson, Jack V.; Daou, Suha F.; Soper, Jeffrey G.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0849313015 ISBN 13: 9780849313011

Publisher: CRC Press, 2004

Synopsis

Expert witnesses have traditionally faced enormous challenges in the courtroom. The Daubert decision and the more recent Kumho ruling have further intensified the scrutiny on professionals in all disciplines expressing their expert opinions.

Effective Expert Witnessing, Fourth Edition broadens the scope of previous editions by featuring case studies and examples from a wide range of disciplines including psychology, medicine, forensics, toxicology, engineering, and environmental science. It presents legal survival strategies needed by expert witnesses in all fields by addressing the impact of the recent rulings regarding expert testimony. The fundamentals of the litigation process are thoroughly presented, with chapters on the pre-trial process, trial preparation, and the courtroom drama.

About this title

About the Author

Jack V. Matson, Ph.D., is emeritus professor of environmental engineering at The Pennsylvania State University and an owner of Matson and Associates Inc., a litigation support consulting engineering firm, in State College, Pennsylvania. His expertise is in the field of chemical emissions, water and wastewater treatment, air pollution, and hazardous wastes. In the course of his career, he has been deposed in over 100 cases and testified at 20 trials. He continues to be active as an expert witness in environmental litigation, specializing in chemical emissions. He is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Ohio.

Review

Effective Expert Witnessing is a well-conceived and well-written book that organizes the often seemingly chaotic proceedings of litigation into a logical, structured, step-by-step process, one that individuals outside the legal community can readily understand. The numerous suggestions and analyses presented by the authors serve to bridge the gap between scientific expert witnesses and the legal community. The case studies highlight the impact and importance of the interrelationships of the fields of science, health care, and the law. This book is recommended for individuals possessing scientific knowledge and expertise who contemplate undertaking the role of a consulting or testifying expert witness. In addition, physicians who are summoned to testify in a court of law, and attorneys involved in various kinds of medical-legal litigation, will find this book an especially useful reference.
-Journal of Legal Medicine, Vol. 26 No. 4, Dec. 2005

Edition details

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0849313015
• ISBN 13: 9780849313011
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 4
• Number of pages: 160