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Computer security expert witnesses may consult on network security, computer forensics, computer crime, data security, and related matters. In Testifying as an expert witness in computer crimes cases, Deb Shinder writes:

IT professionals who are recognized as experts in their fields have the opportunity to help convict criminals in computer crimes cases or see justice done in civil litigation cases that involve technology, and make some extra income at the same time, by serving as expert witnesses for the prosecution, defense or one of the parties to a lawsuit. However, preparation, qualification and testimony in a court case are serious undertakings that involve a great deal of work, and you need to know what you’re getting into and what to expect before you take on the challenge.

Debra Littlejohn Shinder, MCSE, MVP is a technology consultant, trainer, and writer who has authored a number of books on computer operating systems, networking, and security. Read more: techrepublic.com.

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Oil and gas expert witnesses may provide reports and opine regarding pipelines, pipeline ruptures, oil and gas pumps, and more. In the news, Exxon Mobil will pay for the cleanup near Little Rock, Arkansas after a pipeline burst last week resulting in 22 homes being evacuated. The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration will examine the site before operations may resume on the pipeline carrying crude oil from Patoka, IL, to Nederland, TX. The pipeline was built between 1947 and 1948. Arkansas AG Dustin McDaniel is investigating having the Pegasus pipeline moved outside the area that drains into a drinking water source.

See ABC video: http://abcnews.go.com/US/exxon-mobil-pay-arkansas-oil-spill/story?id=18873237#.UWB2F8VXqVo

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Criminal law experts may consult on criminal law procedure, the criminal justice process, and grand juries, as well as related issues. PRWeb reports that American University Professor Jon Gould has completed a three year empirical study on predicting wrongful convictions. Dr. Gould is Director of the Washington Institute for Public and International Affairs Research as well as Principal Investigator, Preventing Wrongful Convictions Project Affiliate Professor, Washington College of Law. The study identifies ten factors in wrong convictions.

Read more: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/3/prweb10513834.htm.

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U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier released Cameron International Corporation as a defendant in the first phase of the trial to identify responsibility in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Cameron produced the blowout preventer used on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and Judge Barbier found no negligence on their part. Cameron is a global provider of pressure control, processing, flow control and compression systems for the oil and gas industries.

Remaining defendants in the case include British Petroleum PLC, rig owner Transocean Ltd., and cement contractor Halliburton.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/

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Columbia Professor of Law Jeffrey Fagan testified in the trial against the New York City Police Department’s “stop and frisk” program. The police procedures expert witness represented plaintiffs who say they were illegally stopped and frisked. Ny1.com reports Fagan testified that the “stop and frisk” practice was based on race which the NY Police Department denies.

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In W.D. Penn. Court reduces “Petition for Reasonable Attorneys Fees,” legal fees expert witness James King writes:

W.D. Penn. Court reduces “Petition for Reasonable Attorneys Fees” to make requested hourly rates consistent with prevailing market rates for routine discovery disputes, rather than “overall trial victories.”

In Sandvik Intellectual Prop. AB v. Kennametal Inc., 02:10-CV-000654, 2013 WL 141193 (W.D. Pa. Jan. 11, 2013), the prevailing party in a discovery suit sought reimbursement for 264.20 hours which resulted in counsel fees of $98,384.01 for time expended by its attorneys as a direct result of Sandvik’s lengthy pattern of discovery delay, obfuscation, and misconduct. The District Court granted the petition for fees, but reduced it by 20% on the basis that the fee request cited prevailing market rates for attorneys performing “trial” litigation work as opposed to “discovery” litigation work. In support of its fee request, the Pittsburgh law firm Kilpatrick Townsend submitted to the court the published rates of Pittsburgh firms Reed Smith and K & L Gates. The Court reached its result as follows:

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In Property & Casualty Insurance Procurement & Litigation (Ten Recurring Themes Every Lawyer Should Know) insurance expert witness David L. Stegall, CPCU, ARM, ARe, RPA, of Risk Consulting & Expert Services writes on ten recurring themes that often lead to litigation. Attorneys either dealing in insurance procurement litigation issues or with clients who purchase insurance may want to consider these ten themes:

Theme 3 of 10 There needs to be a clear understanding of the coverage purchased. Agents, brokers and underwriters are often cautioned not to answer questions about coverages in writing by their superiors and their professional (Errors & Omissions) liability insurance companies. The fear is that the agent will somehow, inadvertently, change the meaning of the insurance policy and/or later be accused of practicing law without a license. There is nothing improper when a purveyor of insurance states their understanding of how a policy would be interpreted in a claims scenario; in fact, it is completely proper and demonstrates a greater degree of care.

In addition, the customer will (hopefully) learn that they have purchased what they thought they have purchased. Agents, brokers and underwriters sell thousands of contracts of insurance everyday. Are they really not supposed to know how they would be interpreted in a claims situation? If the agent or broker will not do it, then ask the underwriter to explain. Refusal to do so should arouse suspicion and other agents or brokers need to be contacted.

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In a struggling economy, injury attorneys working on contingency can lower their risk with potential cases in multiple ways; medical chronologies and an initial opinion of case merit are key components in lowering the upfront risk in a medical malpractice case. Mednick Associates, a 20 year veteran of the industry, outlines tactics that can be employed with almost any case.

The current economic effects of running a law firm are increased when working on a contingent basis. Overhead, employee costs and marketing expenses do not slow down when your case load does. Below are three tactics to use when determining the chances a case will have a favorable outcome.

1) Medical Chronologies: Obtaining medical records is always time consuming, but the real bottleneck is in how they arrive. Complex cases with multiple hospital stays, long treatment periods and numerous operations present medical records from varied institutions and with mounds of information to dissect. Having a chronology done for complex cases, saves the attorney, and their staff, time and allows a medical professional to produce a product that can be used throughout the litigation process. Critical facts, if organized, may change ones outlook on a case at the outset, after a summary of the facts are reviewed.

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The forensic psychiatry expert witness who testified in the case against Richard Kachkar said the defendant was difficult to diagnose. Kachkar is charged with the death Toronto police officer Sargent Ryan Russell. Kachkar drove a stolen snowplow through Toronto and struck down Officer Russell.

Expert witness Dr. John Bradford is Clinical Director of the Forensic Program and Co-Director of the Sexual Behaviors Clinic at the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, Professor of Psychiatry and Head, Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa.

Read more at http://ca.news.yahoo.com/.

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OSHA expert witnesses may consult and write reports on workplace safety, job hazards, OSHA regulations and more. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration released findings this month against the Norfolk Southern Railway over its actions in response to an injured worker. PRNewswire reports that Northern Southern Railway fired a Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employee (Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters) when he reported an on the job eye injury. The railway violated employee protections of the Federal Railroad Safety Act (49 U.S.C. ยง20109).

The employee was reinstated and awarded lost wages and benefits in addition to compensatory and punitive damages.