Financial Expert Witness Communication: A Practical Guide to Reporting and Testimony

CHAPTER 3 Retention of the Financial Expert

FINDING FINANCIAL EXPERTS

There are many ways for a prospective client to find a financial expert consultant or witness that will be right for a case. Some methods are formal; however, the vast majority are informal and interpersonal. It is important to understand how financial experts are found and the types of information used to locate, recruit, and assess the fitness of a financial expert for a particular assignment. This understanding will aid the financial expert with client engagement acceptance, increase the chances for retention, and decrease the risk of discovering too late in the process that the assignment is poorly suited to the expert’s background and qualifications.

Referrals and relationships are the source of choice for many attorneys looking for a good financial expert. However, there is no better way to find a suitable financial expert than to have worked with him before or to have seen him in action as an opponent’s expert. Of course, there still exists a version of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” when it comes to finding financial experts. In addition, the Internet may come into play with its available research tools and the many expert subscription services available. The financial expert witness can also help others find him or her by publishing thought leadership and conducting self-promotion. Each ...