Criminal law expert witness Richard Leo testified last week regarding what he believes was the false confession of Angelica Swartout. The Oregon woman is accused of killing her newborn baby. Dr. Leo is a University of San Francisco law professor recognized for his research on police interrogation practices, the impact of Miranda, psychological coercion, false confessions, and wrongful convictions.

In Businesses find greater need for cyber liability insurance, Mark Schwartz, CEO of Corporate Insurance Advisors, says many small businesses are not aware that their traditional general liability insurance policies do not cover cyber liability claims. Cyber liability insurance expert witnesses may opine on coverage for malicious code or viruses, loss of data, and correlated matters.

Read more: miamiherald.com.

Insurance expert witnesses may testify on commercial liability policies, risk management, and insurance class actions, as well as associated matters. In The Next New Thing: Coverage Issues from Fracking Claims, Brian S. Martin, partner in the Insurance Litigation and Coverage Practice of the law firm of Thompson Coe Cousins & Irons LLP, writes that the next litigation surge may be over the use of fracking in the oil and gas industry.

Read more: insurancejournal.com.

In What Should an Expert Witness Look for in an Attorney or Law Firm?, Dr. Gerry Goldhaber, Goldhaber Research Association, LLC, writes:

Recently, a lawyer’s group discussed in quite a bit of detail, the topic of what criteria a lawyer should consider when retaining an expert witness. While it is important for a lawyer to find a good expert to work with in litigation, it is also important for an expert to find a good lawyer.

My 33 years as a warnings expert has taught me that there are at least five rules that should help the expert maintain a healthy relationship with the lawyer.