Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Guidelines On Economic Damages Expert Testimony

Guidelines On Economic Damages Expert Testimony

By Carolyn Morris


Insurance policy tend to cover wide range of accidents and incidences ranging from fire, flooding, car accidents, airline crash, theft cases and so forth and so on. Once such events have occurred the insurer must prove they were genuine. The litigation process is a complex and time- consuming activity when the wrong approach is taken. Insurers tend to hire economic expert at the last stages of the case proceeding, which is a wrong move. Lawyers utilize the economic damages expert testimony in settlement negotiation, arbitration, and in court cases defending.

The quality of a testimony is directly proportional to the strength of the case. Rush decision-making always lead to hiring an economic expert who is not dedicated to his or her work. An intensive recruitment process is a trick that has passed the test of time. There is need to hire a group to conduct research and testify during the hearing of case. The group is cost effective, and mostly handles the case to the end. Ensuring the group does not rely on a specific full-time professional is recommendable.

The litigation cases are diverse; hence, the claimant must have clear knowledge of his or her case. This will influence the type of experts handled. They include economic, forensic, and litigation professionals. There is need to confirm the academic qualifications. This can be done through requesting for copies of their degree certificate. Once presence of a seal on the certificate is confirmed, seeking assistance of institution responsible for issuing the certificate can dispel all doubts. The professional must have other training apart from his or her area of specialization.

Due diligence should be practiced on individual nominees; this can lead you to skilled and talented specialist. Compiling a list of potential nominee is an easy task. The closest source of info is the friends, relatives, and neighbors who have previous history of dealing with an economic specialist. Experienced professional either retired or employed by insurance company. The Internet is a resourceful tool that can be used to identify exemplary professionals available within the locality.

Once a list of nominees is compiled, the next step is to narrow it through interviews. It is recommendable to handle a maximum of three experts per sessions to ensure you always remain in control. The communication skills and self-expression ability can depict whether the specialist will integrate to the group in a fast rate. He or she must prove beyond reasonable doubt his or her qualifications.

Prior history and strong record of testifying on behalf of clients is a compulsory consideration. Experienced experts always have clear strategies and tactics of handling challenges likely to be encountered. Understanding the litigation process and case planning process is recommendable.

The court proceeding and language used should be clear to the economic professional. Defense terms and conditions must be present. Strong record of testifying for both defendant and complainant is advisable. The board must certify the economic expert.

The specialist must portray dedication to the case. Strong record such as honors, positive reviews, and recognition is an added advantage. However, at least two negative reviews can be accommodated. Some specialist displays their rating on their personal website.




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