LAW 1042: Legal Research and Writing III: Experts in Civil Litigation
Spring 2024 • Section 01 • CRN 30696

Course Description

As any seasoned litigator knows, civil litigation is largely a battle of the experts and cases are often resolved based on the relative strength of the parties expert witnesses. New attorneys are routinely confronted with a host of issues involving the use of experts at trial, including how to retain and investigate experts, qualifications and the admissibility of expert testimony, the scientific or technical reliability of the proposed testimony, methods for effective presentation of expert testimony, cross-examination techniques, and ethical issues surrounding the use of experts. Preparing for, and ultimately presenting, expert testimony at trial requires both strong trial advocacy and legal writing skills. This serial writing seminar is designed to train upper level students in how to effectively use experts at trial and to prepare the various documents and other filings that accompany expert testimony. Ideally, students will be able to use their work product as writing samples for employment applications.

Book List/Materials