Real Estate Expert Witness

An expert witness is typically required in one of two scenarios. First, when trial is approaching and an expert is required to opine on certain aspects at issue in trial or second, to support litigation efforts prior to trial.

We recommend engaging an expert earlier in the process rather than later. Remember, the expert is your subject matter guru and, if properly informed, can be of great assistance to counsel during motion practice, discovery and depositions. The less time an expert is provided to procure an Expert Opinion or State Disclosure, the less informed they are on the nuisances of the case and attorney is afforded less opportunity to learn from the expert and advance the case.

Attorneys are experts on the law, not real estate or other business subject to litigation. When a client hires a lawyer, most times that lawyer needs to study up and learn the business or industry which is the subject of the law suit. If a subject matter expert is hired early in the process they can be invaluable in explaining the nuisances of the business issues at hand to the attorney. Armed with this knowledge that the attorney might otherwise not have, the attorney can then do a better job representing the interest of their clients earlier in the litigation.

This depends on the case. If the case calls for a hyper local issue, then a local expert is probably better suited for that matter. However, if the case is less focused on a hyper local issue, a national expert should suffice. Our experience dictates that the best experts for the case are the ones who understand the relevant legal issues best, not those physically closest to the real estate.