land surveyor as an expert witness
TRANSCRIPT
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LAND SURVEYORAS AN
EXPERT WITNESS
Copyright Nettleman Land Surveying, INC (2016)
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WELCOME TO A (STRANGE) NEW WORLD
• Judgment as a matter of Law
• Laches
• Daubert ruling
• Injunctive relief
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THE EXPERT’S ROLE IN EACH PHASE
• Pre-Trial: Research, Research, Research
• Trial: Communicate, Explain, Tell the Story
• Post-Trial: Document, Document, Document
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FIVE TRICKS OF THE TRADE
• Be Prepared
• Document, Document, Document
• Tell The Whole Story
• Be Yourself
• Communicate
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U.S. COURTS OF APPEALS
• Party who loses in district court has an AUTOMATIC right to an appeal
• 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals– 12 are geographic– One is a specialty court (Federal Circuit)
• United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (“Eleventh Circuit”)
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STATE COURTS
• Each state has its own, independent judicial system.
• Cannot be bound by the federal courts.• One state system cannot bind another court
system.• Structurally, each is a bit different.– But, most have three levels.
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DISCOVERY
• Discovery is the stage of the case where all the parties gather facts, law and other info to support their claims or defenses
• Methods include depositions, interrogatories, request for production, requests for admission, physical examinations and more
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WHO CAN BE A WITNESS?
“Every person is competent to be a witness unless these rules provide otherwise. But in a civil case, state law governs the witness’s competency regarding a claim or defense for which state law supplies the rule of decision.” FRE 601.
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UNDERLYING FACTS AND DATA
Unless the court orders otherwise, an expert may state an opinion — and give the reasons for it — without first testifying to the underlying facts or data. But the expert may be required to
disclose those facts or data on cross-examination.
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SPECIALIZATION
• Licenses: SIT, RPLS, Cfeds
• Certificates: GISp, University, CEUs
• Work-experience focus: “I’m an expert because I do this work every day”
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THE EXPERT WITNESS
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DAUBERT vs FRYE
DAUBERT• Testimony based on:
“general acceptance”
• Tests: (1) general acceptance of (2) theory or technique
FRYE• Testimony based on:
“scientific method”
• Tests: (1) theory or technique is (2) scientifically valid
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DO NOT ASSERT VAST KNOWLEDGE
• This will only trap you.• Avoid answering every
question with absolute certainty.
• If you are not too positive, you will have room to add a detail that you may have overlooked earlier.
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FEES
• Have a definite fee arrangement, never a contingency.
• Answer questions about your fee straightforwardly.
• You are a professional entitled to a professional fee.