Articles Posted in Expert Witness Marketing

In Publicity and Credibility Through Writing, expert witness marketing consultant Rosalie Hamilton offers her thoughts on expert witnesses as authors:

When your expertise is publicized in articles and books, it does not look like advertising, it does not feel like advertising, but, delightfully, it works like advertising. Publicity is, in fact, the best promotional avenue after networking. Even better – it is usually free.

Appearing in publications as a writer confers credibility and authority upon the author. Your profession may even demand that you have peer-reviewed, published works. One tangible benefit from writing is that attorneys search the Internet for publications related to the subjects of their cases in order to find related, qualified expert witnesses. Being a published author can create additional publicity in the form of media interviews, book signings, and book reviews. While writing requires a tremendous effort, the benefits of being published definitely make the effort worthwhile.

In her special report EXPERT PAY DISCUSSION, Rosalie Hamilton, the leading authority on expert witness marketing and founder of Expert Communications, writes:

You May Enjoy Your Work, But Don’t Work for the Fun of It – Make Sure You Get Paid!

A common refrain among expert consultants is, “How do I make sure I get paid?”

In Writing and Defending Your Expert Report, Meredith Hamilton, Managing Editor of “Expert News – The Practice Building Newsletter for Expert Consultants” published by Expert Communications, writes:

Do you remember being terrified with the threat, “it will go on your permanent record” in grade school? Guess what? It’s real.

Expert reports – Not only are they one of your primary work products as an expert witness, but they are “out there” forever as part of some court record. A superb one can decide a case, be discussed among attorneys and become your greatest marketing tool. A poor report can be used to discredit and undermine you for years.

In The Practice-Building Newsletter for Expert Consultants, February/March 2014, expert witness marketing consultant Rosalie Hamilton writes on leveraging the value of your clients. Ms. Hamilton is the leading authority on expert witness marketing and founder of Expert Communications.

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In I have been surprised, Meredith Hamilton, VP Marketing, Expert Communications, writes on engagement letters, most noticeably: attorneys have changed one or two provisions in the contract without notifying the expert and then sent it back signed without saying a word!

Back story: Last month I attended the FEWA Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter Dinner Meeting at the Tower Club in Dallas. Real estate expert Dr. Jack Friedman was presenting “Advertising and Promotion of Expert Services.” And while the topic was of interest to me, in all honesty I was looking forward to hanging out with a couple of our clients I knew would be attending.

Well lo and behold if I didn’t hear something that made me sit up straight and pay attention. Jack was discussing the elements and format of an engagement letter. He cautioned against sending as a Word document (or using “Compare Documents” feature if you did) because it could be altered without your knowledge. I thought to myself, “Surely not,” but as I began shaking my head, the stories came out from the experts attending. Sure enough, attorneys have changed one or two provisions in the contract without notifying the expert and then sent it back signed without saying a word! It never would have occurred to me to check line-by-line like that, but at least three experts confirmed that this happens.

In 3 Tips for Improving your Expert CV, Rosalie Hamilton, the leading authority on expert witness marketing and founder of Expert Communications, offers advice on the form and content of your CV including:

Read your CV as though you were reading someone else’s CV, with three or four others having been received from people with similar credentials and experience. What can you do to improve your CV, including making your expertise instantly recognizable?

Read more: Expert Communications.

In Is Self-Promotion “Bragging? Rosalie Hamilton, the leading authority on expert witness marketing and founder of Expert Communications,writes:

Does the thought of reciting your achievements and credentials make you cringe?

You’re not alone. Many experts are hesitant to ‘promote’ themselves. I want to share with you an email exchange I had with one of our readers on this subject.

In The Straight Truth, The Life Of An Expert Witness, construction site expert witness William Gulya, Jr., President & CEO, Middlesex Trenching Company, writes:

So, why would you want to become an expert witness?

After all, the work can be very tedious and demanding. It can require the expenditure of long hours for two, three, or even four weeks at a time.

At Expert Communications.com, expert witness marketing and training expert Rosalie Hamilton reviews The A to Z Guide to Expert Witnessing by Steven Babitsky, Esq., James J. Mangraviti, Jr., Esq., and Alex Babitsky, MBA. Ms. Hamilton recommends:

Resource lists – checklists for CVs and reports; directories of different resources such as legal journals, bar associations, etc.; and especially the model documents – fee schedules, expert reports, and consulting agreements.

Publishers description: The A-Z Guide to Expert Witnessing is the comprehensive work on expert witnessing. The topics covered include civil procedure, evidence, qualifications, CV writing, forming and expressing opinions, report writing, testifying skills, marketing, fee setting, billing, collections, ethics, privileges, discovery, avoiding abuse and much more. It features 24 concisely written chapters, 26 appendices, hundreds of examples with easy to read summary head notes, priceless practice pointers and a detailed index.

In Watermarking an Expert Witness CV, construction site expert witness William Gulya, Jr., President & CEO, Middlesex Trenching Company, writes:

A recent article on a prominent expert witness directory site recommended and encouraged their experts and consultants to watermark their curriculum vitae. Their reasoning, according to the article, was because, “As disconcerting as it may be, unscrupulous activity does exist in the legal industry….”

The next thing I knew I received a copy of an email addressed to Mr. X from his adversary copying me requesting a copy of my expert report, as the deadline for submission of expert reports had expired. I immediately informed Mr. X that because he had not returned my retainer agreement and payment, nor sent me any discovery, I was not to be considered his expert on the case. I enclosed a copy of my original letter stating I had closed the file, and copied his adversary on my email to Mr. X.