The Groundwater Expert-Attorney/Client Relationship
The Groundwater Expert-Attorney/Client Relationship
Presented on Monday, March 16, 2015
Having provided expert testimonies for more than a quarter of a century, at the end of the day whether a case is won or lost is as much about the credibility of the expert as it is the facts. Expert witnesses who have had facts on their side have lost cases because of a single instance during which the facts and/or data were used to arrive at an unnecessary, often incredulous opinion. This presentation focuses on the expert-attorney relationship, and how best to position yourself to achieve your clients’ expectations. While many issues related to the dynamics of the expert-attorney relationship, nearly everything I have to discuss builds upon development of a foundation of honesty and avoidance of creating expectations beyond your ability, or expectations of the outcome of the case. Also, addressed are issues that arise when attorneys request the expert to testify on issues that are based on questionable data, or that offer opposing counsel to easily attack the credibility of the expert.
Tyler Gass, PG, PHg
Integral Consulting Inc., Louisville, CO
Tyler Gass is a licensed professional geologist and hydrogeologist with more than 40 years of experience broadly ranging from the evaluation and design of village water supply in developing countries to major municipal groundwater supply systems in the United States, and including the investigation and remediation of some of the most chemically hazardous sites in the United States. Gass is currently a principal and chief hydrogeologist with Integral Consulting Inc.
