An expert witness is someone who has the skill, knowledge, experience, training, or education that allows them to form an opinion concerning scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge. Attorneys call upon expert witnesses to explain complicated problems to juries.
Common examples of expert witnesses include doctors for medical cases and accident reconstruction experts for car accidents. For instance, Medical experts can explain how a physician’s actions caused an injury or the standard of care expected of a physician in a particular area of practice.
Expert witnesses produce essential testimony that can be the difference between winning a case and losing one. Even if a lawyer successfully obtains expert witness testimony, they still have to give appropriate notice of expert witness to the court and the other party.