LOCATING QUALIFIED ENGINEERS AND METALLURGISTS
TO ACT AS EXPERT WITNESSES
How do you go about finding a qualified engineer or metallurgist to act as an expert witness?
It depends. Does the case require an internationally reowned expert, or will a professor
from the local university suffice? Does the expert have to have 20 years of experience
designing this type of widget, or is a knowledge of the basic principals of physics and
engineering sufficient? When should I hire a metallurgist as opposed to an engineer?
The answers to these questions depend on the legal and factual issues of the case. For
example, a generalist should not be used as an expert where the standard of care in the
profession is an issue. A metallurgist may be able to adequately explain how a part failed,
but he may not be able to explain why it failed.
Once the type of required expert is determined, there still is the problem of locating a
qualified individual. There are dozens of web pages that list potential experts, but they
are simply the individuals who have chosen to advertise on that site. For the most part,
these web pages do not investigate the qualifications of the listed experts. The best
approach is a word of mouth recommendation from someone who has actually used that
expert (or been on the side opposite that expert).
J.L. Grover has over 25 years of experience as an expert, and can help identify the types
of experts best suited to your case, and if necessary, help locate an expert or evaluate
whether a specific individual is the best fit for your case.
