In 14 Rules For Working With An Expert Economist, expert witness Dr. Jerome M. Staller offers “rules” to follow that will help your economics expert witness do the best job he or she can for you and your client.
Never ask your expert to go beyond the scope of his or her expertise. I see this more often then I should: economists offering opinions that only a medical or vocational expert is qualified to provide, fore example. Why risk impeachment? In many cases the only way to build a defensible and credible damages argument is by assembling a team of experts — vocational, medical and economic. Your economist can tell you what the limits of economic expertise is in the particular case, and whether he or she will need opinions from other types of experts.
Never make your expert your advocate. Instead, have your expert zealously advocate his or her opinion.
Excerpted from The Center for Forensic Economic Studies http://www.cfes.com/