How to Hire Expert Witnesses for a Murder Trial

Professionals and academics with highly specific credentials sometimes make themselves available for hire as expert witnesses. Forensics experts, psychologists, psychiatrists and a wide range of other specialists might be of use to a defendant in a murder trial.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Criminal lawyer
• Referral services

1. Work with your attorney to decide what type of expert testimony you need in order to help your case. Generally, an expert witness is brought in to lend credibility to arguments that are otherwise lacking in hard, physical proof or rely on unproven circumstances for their viability.
2. Ask your lawyer to recommend a qualified expert witness referral service. There are brokers who connect clients with expert witnesses of all sorts. In fact, it's probably better if your lawyer handles the search and hiring of an expert witness on your behalf.
3. Interview each candidate, with your lawyer's assistance, and outline the type of testimony you expect the witness to provide. Make sure you only tell the expert witness what she needs to know in order to testify at your trial--there's no reason at all that she should find out any details of your case that aren't directly related to the testimony she's expected to provide.
4. Hire the expert witness who provides the optimum balance of affordability, expertise and a cooperative disposition. Make sure that your expert witness has a thorough understanding of the timeline of events that are expected to unfold. If you anticipate that your expert witness may need to make a months-long commitment because your trial is expected to be lengthy and involved, disclose this up front and be prepared to pay a pretty penny to retain the expert's services.
5. Have your lawyer call the expert witness during your murder trial to provide the testimony that's been agreed upon. Your lawyer should be using the expert witness to give credence to a circumstantial or theoretical argument about your innocence. Expect that your expert witness may be thoroughly cross examined by the prosecution, which will have access to her file and credentials.

Tips & Warnings

• The costs you'll face if you choose to hire an expert witness for a murder trial can be very steep. Just as with attorneys, the more reputable the expert witness, the higher the asking price will be.
• Screen your expert witnesses carefully. Avoid hiring someone who wants to bend the facts of the case to his testimony or someone who insists your defense be built around the expertise he provides.