BTC/80/2013 - Extreme consulting; is being an expert witness for you? Article 2/3 for Arboriculture Australia’s The Bark (March 2013)
In this second article of a three-part series on professionalism, Jeremy Barrell (www.barrelltreecare.co.uk) explores the demands of acting as an expert witness. It is easy to claim to be an expert, but the cold reality of standing in a hostile court with some of the finest minds around doing their best to pick your credibility apart, word by word, is a different world from the comfort of a warm, cosy office amongst friends. Even for the most experienced experts, appearing in court is a rare event, so there is very little opportunity to learn from past mistakes. To be successful is both technically and psychologically demanding, with many consultants seeing it as the pinnacle of professional practice. If you have expert aspirations, then check out Jeremy’s top tips that may make the difference between ending up a winner or a loser!