A Legal Expert Meaning

a jurist who is familiar with civil law or the law of nations, nor a person who is a specialist in an often technical field who can present his expert opinion without having witnessed an event related to the prosecution or criminal procedure. This is an exception to the rule prohibiting the presentation of an opinion at trial, provided that the expert is qualified by the evidence of his expertise, training and special knowledge. If the expertise is called into question, counsel for the party calling the « expert » must prove the necessary background through questions to the court, and the trial judge has the discretion to characterize the witness or decide that he or she is not an expert or expert on limited matters. Experts are usually well paid for their services and can be questioned by the opposition about the amount they receive for their work on the case. In most jurisdictions, the two parties must exchange the names and addresses of proposed experts to allow for pre-trial testimony.