When you are in court, sometimes the witnesses that you have scheduled will not be enough. If that is the case, you might need to call in an expert witness. Here are three types of expert witnesses that you can call in for a variety of purposes.
1. Financial Expert
In cases that involve large amounts of money, the stock market, or banking in some way, you may need to call in a financial expert witness. These witnesses are called almost exclusively to deal with white-collar criminal trials, which are often high-profile cases. These witnesses have been involved in the financial sector for many years and are therefore more knowledgeable than almost anyone else.
2. Medical Expert
Injuries and other medical problems come up fairly often in court cases. These witnesses are almost always accomplished doctors who are well-versed in cases of malpractice and other general medical knowledge. Medical experts are often called in for high-profile cases, such as murder cases, as well. The court usually asks them to confirm the cause of death or some other kind of trauma.
3. Mental Health Expert
Mental illnesses are unfortunately common among people who commit violent crimes. That is why people have the option to plead insanity when they are charged with a crime. When this plea occurs, a mental health expert, commonly a psychiatrist is brought in to perform a psychological evaluation. There are other specific uses for mental health experts in court, but verifying pleas of insanity is the most common.
Your lawyer should know when you need to bring in an expert witness, so if you are not a lawyer, you should not have to worry about it. However, it is always a good idea to be informed about the circumstances when you would expect to encounter expert witnesses in a courtroom.