Judd Robbins

The Importance of Reviewing Your Expert Report before Submitting It



Posted: Saturday, November 06, 2010

by Judd Robbins
Presentation Dynamics

The reviewing process is an opportunity to contribute an air of professionalism to your report.

After you finish writing, you will want to just hand over the report. By then you are tired, you have worked for weeks or months on it, and you are finished. But, don't hand it over. It's not ready yet.

While you may be ready for a break, or feel confident that you write well and no review is necessary, your next chore is to reread your complete report, from top to bottom, as both an editor and a critic. Check that all necessary sections appear. The flow and organization of your thoughts should be visible. Everything in your report should be clear, and it should be readily apparent what facts you explored and what steps you took that led to your conclusions. Every opinion and opinion must follow congruently from the facts you refer to in the report.

So far, that's just content. Let's talk for a moment about carelessness. How impressed are you when you read something in a newspaper or a magazine that includes blatant errors in spelling, or less obvious but real errors in grammar? Look for those in your report. If you are not good at spelling or grammar, use your word processor's spell checker or a grammar checker.

You have been trying to create a professional impression with your work, and trying to develop a great reputation as an expert witness. Why negate this great impression through carelessness in spelling or grammar? Review your report! Some professionals ask a friend or colleague to read their report out loud to them. They find that this works very effectively for quickly calling attention to errors.

If your report is long or includes many exhibits, you can bind the entire report with spiral binding, or a three-hole punch notebook with labeled separators. Even simple attention to formatting can create a more pleasing and professional presentation.

As I said earlier, your expert report and your expert testimony are the cornerstones of your work. Your report will stand in your stead for people to read, evaluate, and assess the strength of your opinions and the professionalism of your efforts. The appearance of your report reflects directly on you and your carefulness. It also suggests whether you will be an organized and persuasive witness when called to explain the content of the report during testimony.

There is one final note to think about. sometimes, for whatever reasons, you find out new facts after you submit your report. If the new data leads to any changes in your opinion(s), write a supplemental report explaining the changes to your earlier opinions and how the new evidence led to a new and/or changed opinion.
Judd Robbins has been an internationally recognized expert witness since 1986 in the US and in the UK. He has testified in State and Federal courts and has been featured as a testifying computer forensics expert on MSNBC, Court TV, and Tech TV. His cases range widely from intellectual property infringement to murder. He has been a best-selling author of more than 30 training and computer books and has created more than 25 training DVDs and videos. In 2010, his book "Expert Witness Training" was published by Presentation Dynamics. Robbins has advanced degrees from UC Berkeley and the University of Michigan, has been an Information Systems manager and an Education Systems manager, and consults in both computer and legal issues. Learn more about Mr. Robbins and his Expert Witness Training materials at www.juddrobbins.com

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