Criminal
cases are won by a single expert testimony, be it by a ballistics
specialist, a criminal psychology professional or a toxicologist.
Oftentimes, it is the lawyer’s job to secure a witness who can help
disprove his client’s involvement in the case. So how exactly does
one choose an expert witness?
Choose
the Field
Fields
of specialization include forensic, environmental, and medical
toxicology, internal medicine, and clinical pharmacology. For
example, if the case involves poisoning, then you should look for a
toxicology expert witness. You can also get in touch with a reputable
expert witness referral service for assistance.
Consultant
You
will have to hire an expert witness that will act as a consultant to
study the case and provide results. A ballistics expert for instance,
will inspect bullet wounds and trajectories to find a link between
the suspect and the victim. A toxicologist on the other hand, will
check for evidence of administered poisons to find out if the victim
indeed died or was almost killed by poisoning.
Witness
After
the expert has obtained results, the court will convene him to
testify (take note that you have the call on how much information the
witness can divulge, as long as you’re not burying evidence). You
may also need to brief your expert on what questions he might be
facing in the course of his examination and cross-examination.
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