Features
Overview
Gain practical strategies to master the process of engaging expert witnesses and avoid common pitfalls encountered along the way.
Expert evidence plays a critical role in litigation, often shaping the outcome of complex cases. However, it can be challenging for practitioners to select, instruct, prepare, and examine an expert witness in a way that ensures their evidence is effective, persuasive and useful.
This course provides practical guidance on how to navigate the process of engaging an expert witness from selection through to giving evidence in the courtroom. It also highlights the different pitfalls which practitioners can encounter throughout the process and how to mitigate or avoid these successfully. Crucially, the course also covers strategies for challenging the evidence of opposing experts in cross-examination in ways which support your own client’s case.
Published: October 2024
Key takeaways
- Understand the Role of Expert Evidence: Learn how expert opinions can influence legal outcomes and the importance of selecting the right expert early in the process.
- Practical Strategies for Engaging Experts: Discover how to effectively select and instruct suitable expert witnesses, and manage multiple experts.
- Preparing and Proofing Experts: Learn techniques to proof witnesses to give clear, credible and admissible evidence, that does not cross the line into coaching.
- Cross-Examining Experts: Develop strategies to challenge opposing expert testimony under cross-examination, and prepare your own witnesses to withstand this.
Meet the expert
Christopher Shanahan SC was admitted to the WA bar in 1984, NSW in 1989 and the High Court of Australia in 1990. He practices as a barrister at Murray Chambers.