Looking for virtual education? The Forensic Expert Witness Association offers quarterly webinars specifically tailored to the continuing education of expert witnesses. The FEWA Webinar series are free for all FEWA members, and offered at the low price of $30 for non members. The webinars are created to fit within the CFLC Core Program. 

FEWA’s Certified Forensic Litigation Consultant (CFLC) and Master Certified Forensic Litigation Consultant (MCFLC) certifications set certificants above the rest. CFLC and MCFLC certificants exhibit the experience and knowledge expected of an expert or consultant, giving an attorney the confidence needed when selecting an expert. If you’re an expert, take the time to learn more about the CFLC or the MCFLC Certification to see if it’s the right next step for your professional development. If you’re an attorney, look for the CFLC or MCFLC in members’ designations or on their FEWA online profile to help give you the confidence you need when sifting through experts.

The Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA) is the only non-profit professional membership organization that verifies that each of its professional members has testified at least three times as an expert witness. FEWA is dedicated to the professional development, ethics and promotion of forensic consultants in all fields of discipline. FEWA provides professional education for experts of all levels of experience and also for those aspiring to be experts who have not yet testified, which spans all technical specialties.

The FEWA e-newsletter is distributed twice a month – that’s 24 opportunities for you to contribute an article, news item or event notice for our newsletter! We are always interested to hear about your experiences as an expert witness and legal consultant, whether you are just starting out your career or are a seasoned expert. The Forensic Expert Witness is the perfect place to write an op-ed style article about it to share your insights with other experts, and gain visibility for your FEWA profile and expertise.

Submit your community editorial to the FEWA National Staff by clicking below or emailing info@forensic.org. Happy writing!

Donald has more than 48 years of experience in program, project, and construction management services for many different types of federal, state/county/city, and private sector construction projects, including transportation, airports, transit, heavy industrial, manufacturing, process, oil and gas, power, infrastructure, water and wastewater, architectural and environmental. He has significant expertise in, and knowledge of, all aspects of project, program, and construction management, including preplanning and programming; specifications drafting and contract document development; claims, change order, and change order avoidance reviews; cost and schedule administration; scope and change order management; claims and dispute evaluation; and expert analysis and testimony. Learn more about Donald below. 

Your FEWA membership includes a number of benefits, including a listing in the FEWA Online Directory and an Enhanced Online Profile. Enhanced Online Profile allows members to improve their visibility to members of the legal community who are seeking experts by making effective enhancements. Are you making the most of your Directory listing? Do you have an Online Enhanced Profile? Take advantage of these benefits today!

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives. Lawsuits related to the impact of Covid, in turn, are growing. Waves of suits related to the impact of Covid-19 have even shut down some courts during the pandemic. Covid-19 has caused a significant increase in demand for experts in a few areas: loss causation, nursing home and residential care, and medicine and public health. 

Given the widespread use of Zoom in our daily lives, it is likely your witness(es) will have some level of familiarity with the platform. But while increasingly common, video conferencing isn’t perfect, and you always run the risk of technical issues. When it comes to an online legal proceeding, special care should be taken to ensure your remote witness’ testimony is both clear and effective.

Sometimes, engineers work as consultants to give expert supporting evidence in appropriate circumstances. The concentration of engineers may be on the past, such as explaining the causes of accidents, malfunctions and other activities and functions which involve technology. They also focus on the future such as public planning, policy making etc, that involve technology. In general, engineers are often hired by one of the opponent parties of a dispute.

Florida is one of the states with licensing for both mold remediators and mold assessors. Given the climate and the state’s geographic location, Floridians are familiar with mold issues and catastrophic losses. At the recent AEML Winter Break 2022 conference, several presentations examined the matters of moisture, materials, mold and methodologies and their roles in these claims. Finding the right expert is key. 

An expert may base an opinion on facts or data in the case that the expert has been made aware of or personally observed. If experts in the particular field would reasonably rely on those kinds of facts or data in forming an opinion on the subject, they need not be admissible for the opinion to be admitted. But if the facts or data would otherwise be inadmissible, the proponent of the opinion may disclose them to the jury only if their probative value in helping the jury evaluate the opinion substantially outweighs their prejudicial effect (emphasis added). So, what facts or data do experts in a particular field rely on in forming opinions? 

Did you attend the FEWA National Conference? Conference attendees earned up to 13.5 educational credits towards the Certified Forensic Litigation Consultant (CFLC Credential). FEWA Professional and Professional Consulting members are eligible to apply for the CFLC. Do you qualify for the CFLC? Learn more about the application requirements.