SEAK has announced that its highly acclaimed interactive training program, How to Be an Effective Expert Witness, will be offered on Thursday and Friday September 19-20, 2013 at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in Falmouth, MA. How to Be an Effective Expert Witness is a small group, hands-on, fast-moving interactive workshop covering deposition, direct examination, and cross-examination skills.
Attendees will learn how to become markedly more effective and significantly more valuable expert witnesses. Instruction will utilize four methods: lecture, questions & answers, videos of experts actually testifying in real cases, and mock trial demonstrations using student volunteers. The mock trial demonstrations are based upon a C.V. and sample report submitted in advance by each attendee. Each attendee will have an opportunity to participate in demonstrations and to receive constructive feedback as to how to improve their performance.
Each attendee will also receive feedback on their pre-submitted bio and report. In addition, each attendee will be provided with a content rich, 239 page seminar manual.
Topics Include:
SECTION 1: DEPOSITION SKILLS
- Deposition Law and Procedure
- Understanding the Strategies and Goals of Opposing Counsel
- Preparing for your Deposition
- Deposition Strategies for Experts
- Understanding and Defeating Counsel’s Deposition Tactics
- Videotape Depositions: Special Techniques
- Advanced Deposition Tactics for Experts
- Pulling it all Together: Truthfully and Artfully Answering Trick and Difficult Questions at Deposition
SECTION 2: DIRECT EXAMINATION AND PERSUASION SKILLS
- Introduction and Executive Summary of Persuasion Techniques for Expert Witnesses
- How to Best Put Forth Your Qualifications
- Commenting on the Opposing Expert and His Opinion
- Developing a Harmonious Interaction with Retaining Counsel
- Creating and Using Powerful, Memorable Language and Analogies
- Optimizing Your “Teaching” Skills
- Reading and Bonding with the Jury
- Dealing with Problem Areas and Weaknesses
- The Biggest Mistakes Experts Can Make that Can Turn Off Judge and Jury
SECTION 3: CROSS-EXAMINATION SKILLS
- Protecting Yourself from Attacks on your Credibility and Credentials
- Forming Airtight Opinions
- How Trial Attorneys Prepare for Cross-Examination of an Expert
- Advanced Cross-Examination Techniques
- Staying One Step Ahead of Counsel During Cross-Examination
- Going on Offense During Cross-Examination
- How To Skillfully Answer Trick And Difficult Questions