Legal Issues Expert Witnesses are Faced With - Research Paper Example

The application of science in courts as sources of witness has changed the dimension of law. Psychology researchers that focus on the memory and cognitions reduced the challenges that were faced in the law courts as a result of the memory lapses experienced by the eye witnesses. The eye witness turned out inaccurate and unreliable; thus, the focus of the law shifted to the expert witness for reliable information. The basis of information provided by these expert witnesses is on the experiments and research studies on the existing cases, or experiences of the past cases.

Nevertheless, however reliable the expert witness information is, the experts face a lot of legal problems that question their methodologies and procedures, which sometimes make them appear unethical and unacceptable to the Federal Rules of Evidence. The witness offered by these experts relies purely on science and psychology, which requires several methods in order to establish facts. Applicability of expert witness in cases has revolutionized the court system because it helps in solving cases, which would otherwise remain unresolved due to insufficient evidence.

However, expert witnesses face a number of daily legal actions. Often we hear of lawyers and expert witnesses charged with violations, which are usually referred to as unethical behavior. Other accusations laid against them include serious misconducts and misrepresentations that may lead to their suspensions or even being banned from the legal practice. The challenge of defending the accused may be high for the lawyer who may end up finding witnesses of the cases facing them. The expert witnesses deal with issues like handwriting recognition, engineering cases, toxic, psychological cases among others.

Basing on the need for accuracy of the information with ethical standards, the expert witness have a responsibility to apply their expertise in order to win