Testifying in Court: Guidelines and Maxims for the Expert Witness

by Stanley L. Brodsky and Margaret Scott

Book Overview

This work, designed for mental health professionals, offers guidance on effective modes of giving testimony, understanding the courtroom milieu, and evaluating the effectiveness of testimony before and after the actual experience.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1557981280
• ISBN13: 9781557981288
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Well worth the time to read if you testify as an expert

Everyone who has testified in Court has at least one horror story where the attorney made them look foolish or worse. This book prepares you with an understanding of the process, procedures and roles of courts and attorneys. Knowing how to handle those tough situations can increase confidence on the stand and reduce the disenchantment of having been "brow beaten" by an attorney. Everyone, but the most experienced expert witness will find this book invaluable.

Older but not out-of-date

This is Brodsky's first book on Expert Witnessing and is now 6+ years old. It remains one of the best primers on what to expect, particularly for the psychologist, when working in a forensic environment. It is easy to read, has great stories, offers good citations, and covers a deceptively wide range of central issues for anyone wanting to be better prepared for work with lawyers and the courts. Each "chapter" is 2-3 pages in length, which makes them easy to read and digest in brief periods as each "chapter" is independent and stands alone well. I have read all three of the books in this "series" by Brodsky and continue to view this one as the best of the three.

Invaluable for the Novice

After reading this book in preparation for an upcoming trial, I felt more confident and more in control for my role as an expert witness. I actually enjoyed testifying.

A must read for every witness expert or not

As an expert witness I have found this simple to read collection contians virtually every trick and technique used by opposing attorneys in cross examination. Not only do I reread it regularly but I also read it every evening before I am called to testify.

How to survive being cross-examined, and more

Brodsky provides you with what you REALLY need to know about being an expert witness, such as: how to survive a vicious cross-exam without losing your cool; what to do when personally attacked or criticised on the stand; how to behave toward and interact with the judge; how to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally; the difference between a believable presentation and an easily dismissed presentation of the same facts; and a lot more. Being an expert witness can be helpful and it can be lucrative, but it is apt to be neither easy nor fun. Take Brodsky with you on the airplane...you'll be glad you did. I was.