Fourth, few attorneys like to admit it openly, but cost can be an important factor in expert selection. In business litigation, the prudent attorney never abandons a business-like approach to decision making. Cost-benefit analysis should be part of all determinations. Fifth, prior experience with an expert plays a large part in the selection process. After all, an expert is more than a mouthpiece for specific evidence.
Good experts are creative in applying skills to the matter at hand.
They get involved in analyzing relative merits of the case as a whole and can offer strategic insights useful to case planning. Lastly, the expert's firm name, reputation, and resources can play an important part in expert selection. The resources must be available to complete the job, and anything that improves recognizability to the jury can be a plus. I also asked that they not put too much analytic focus on the task, as I was interested in gut feelings derived from experience. Actual results are distributed remarkably close to this progression.