In More effective use of experts in slip-and-fall cases – The right expert will help you to better prepare the case and win it at trial, attorney David Reinard writes on when to retain your experts:
• How obvious is liability? If you know you have them dead to rights, you can wait as close to trial as your personality allows.
• How big of a case is it? If you have a big damages case, you can’t afford to wait and miss something because you didn’t hire an expert at the beginning. And if you have a big damages case, you need to be ready to spend the money to do it right.
• How well do you know the expert you might hire? If you have a good relationship, you might be able to kick the case around a bit early on and formally retain the expert later.
• What issue will the expert address?
Liability experts are needed much earlier than human factors or biomechanical experts.
(The Advocate Magazine, March 2012)
David Reinard is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, a member of ABOTA, and is regularly designated a Super Lawyer. He has tried dozens of cases throughout California.