Tactics of Testimony from an Expert Witness - Coursework Example

In the first tactic, the expert witness has probably taken part in another case in which they provided testimony. In all testimonies, the attorney may locate an error based on either profession or ethics (Leesfield, 2015). From this mistake, the attorney may undermine the credibility of the witness in proving reliable testimony. For instance, if the expert has ever made an error in providing medical results that have been used in a deposition, the attorney may request the court to disregard the testimony since the witness may not be reliable. To respond to this tactic, the witness may cite the specific causes of mistakes in the previous case that may not influence their decision in their current testimony (Delaney, 2007).

Before the cross-examination of an expert witness, an attorney should evaluate the professional qualifications and performance of the witness (Leesfield, 2015) If the attorney locates any weakness in the information, they may use the knowledge during a case. For instance, a medical practitioner may have a prior case of a careless injury caused to a patient. From this information, the attorney may cross-examine the witness and remind them of the incident intentionally undermining their reliability of confidence in the case. To curb this tactic, the expert witness should be well informed on previous mistakes and weaknesses in their profession and trained on how to respond to questions that may be asked (Delaney, 2007).

On most occasions, the expert witness may have an allegiance either to the plaintiff or the defendant. The attorney should find this allegiance and any previous relationship between the witness and either of the sides. For instance, if the witness has testified in a case in support of a particular expectation, the attorney may cite a bias on the side of an expert witness (Leesfield, 2015). This may distort the testimony of the witness. The expert witness, however, may cite their professional or ethical requirement to support their stand based on the experienced knowledge in their field of expertise (Delaney, 2007).