I’m not an expert.

I’m not an expert I’m here as a teacher to help you understand some of the evidence and facts.

Richard Gabriel, Redefining Credibility: Turning Expert Witnesses into Teachers, 21(3) The Jury Expert, May 2009.

Frequently, however, [jury’s] are turned off by expert witnesses, who may resemble one of the following:

  1. Ivory Tower: arrogant and condescending
  2. Swordsman: combative, defensive, hostile, nitpicky
  3. Waffler: uncertain and inconsistent
  4. Automaton: stiff, robotic, confusing, unintelligible
  5. Salesman: slick and overzealous

"Under all of these negative terms," advises trial consultant Richard Gabriel, "lies one fundamental problem: the lawyer and the witness did not have the intention of truly communicating with today’s jury."

A quick review of this publication shows some other interesting and potentially useful articles for the trial practitioner.

Karen Franklin.

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