I never set out to become an expert witness. In 2019, ten years after founding Reputation Communications, I got an email out of the blue from an attorney looking for someone to evaluate a defamation case. I put together a short proposal, was engaged, and found myself in a field I hadn’t planned on entering. That first case turned out to be the start of something ongoing: since then, while running Reputation Communications, I’ve worked on cases referred from law firms across the country.
I recently wrote about all of this in a piece for PLI Chronicle, the publication of the Practising Law Institute. It covers the full arc of my experience: from that first email, through building a network, navigating case challenges, and marketing an expert witness practice ethically. I also address a topic that’s especially relevant right now: the risks of using AI in expert witness work, including why AI prompts can be discoverable and why case materials shouldn’t be uploaded to AI platforms without real safeguards.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your professional expertise could translate into expert witness work, or you’re already doing this work and want to compare notes, I think you’ll find something useful in it.
You can read the full article, “Becoming an Expert Witness: What I Learned Along the Way,” on PLI Chronicle. Non-subscribers need to create a free account to access the article.
