Advanced Expert Witness Testimony for Laboratory Analysts
2-Day LIVE Online Training - February 21-22, 2024 - $450.00
This list of topics (questions) goes on and on and focuses on how you appear while on the witness stand, and how to understand and exercise your rights while testifying. How you deal with these scenarios determines the level of trust the jury is willing to place in you as an expert witness.
As you can see, these questions have nothing to do with your expertise. Don’t worry, that comes later in this webinar.
DAY 1 SCHEDULE
9:00 AM -9:30 AM CST
Introduction to the speaker and expectations of students.
9:30 AM-11:00 AM CST
The role of an expert witness in a trial?
Below are just a few of the topics that we will cover, and they apply to all forensic expert witnesses, regardless of your discipline. Ron will clearly show you that your forensic discipline in court has much more in common with other disciplines than differences. Most agencies that do have expert witness training programs focus on the technical questions that the witness might be asked when there are so many things that a new witness needs to know just to get through the first few minutes. This is where the expert witness begins to gain the “forensic trust” of the jury. Let’s start there.
11:00 AM-11:20 AM CST
Break
11:20 AM-12:30 PM CST
Rights and Obligations of an Expert Witness While Testifying: (This is just a sample of the topics we will cover in this module)
Verbal:
12:30 PM-1:30 PM CST
Lunch
1:30 PM-3:00 PM CST
The Defense Bar. Who they are and what do they know?
Public Defenders. What is their role and what should you expect from them in the courtroom?
Retained Attorneys. What is their role and what should you expect from them in the courtroom that might be different from a Public Defender
Where do Defense Attorneys get their information about forensics?
3:00 PM – 3:40 PM CST
OSAC Standards: (Potential Cross-Examination Topics)
3:40 PM-4:00 PM CST
Break
4:00 PM-4:45 PM CST
Proficiency Testing (Potential Cross-Examination Topics)
4:45 PM-5:15 PM CST
ISO 17025/17020 Accreditation (Potential Cross Exam. Topics)
5:15 PM-5:45 PM CST
Quality Management Systems (Potential Cross Exam. Topics)
5:45 PM-6:00 PM CST
Introduction to Day 2 topics
DAY 2 SCHEDULE
9:00 AM-9:15 AM CST
Review of potential topics for final examination from Day 1.
9:15 AM-9:45 AM CST
Error Rates and what they really mean.
9:45 AM-10:15 AM CST
Sampling Decisions made in casework and the potential problems that could arise. (Hot topic for cross-examination)
10:15 AM-11:00 AM CST
Contamination of evidence and its potential effect on results.
11:00 AM-11:20 AM CST - Break
11:20 AM-12:00 AM CST
Rules of Evidence
12:00 AM-12:30 AM CST
Direct Examination
12:30 AM-01:30 PM CST
Lunch
01:30 PM-01:45 PM CST
What is it that juries really want and expect from you as a forensic expert witness? Things they like.
01:45 PM-2:15 PM CST
What is it that really turns a jury off and causes them to lose trust in you?
2:15 PM- 2:30 PM CST
Pre-trial Preparations.
2:30 PM-3:40 PM CST
Cross-examination. It is a good thing! (I promise)
3:40 PM-4:00 PM CST
Break
4:00 PM-5:30 PM CST
Examples of cross-examination questions submitted from multiple forensic disciplines within the class participants. (Students are encouraged to submit questions in advance but can also submit during the training.)
5:30 PM-5:40 PM CST
Course wrap-up and final comments.
5:40 PM-6:00 PM CST
Course Survey & Written Examination.
The examination will be composed of 20 multiple choices and true/false questions based directly on the two days of the lecture. If students have paid attention, the test should not take longer than 30 minutes. 80% correct required to receive your Training Certificate of Completion.
16 Hours