What to Look for in a Financial Expert
Financial experts may help in cases that involve claims and losses, revenue, royalties, lost wages, loans and more. Whenever a company or person’s finances are involved with a lawsuit, it can become too complicated for the parties involved to organize the evidence or to build a case based on financial evidence. This is where expert witnesses can help with a case. If you’re looking for a financial expert witness, here is what you need to look for.
- Experience and Credentials
An expert witness is a person who has specialized skills that could help a jury make sense of evidence. To ensure that you have a witness that can call himself or herself an expert, you have to look into the person’s background and credentials. He or she should have experience in finance and in providing witness testimony. Often, a finance expert witness helps in the investigation and uncovers evidence before he or she explains the facts of the case to the court. Without experience as an expert witness, he or she may not know how to handle the responsibility.
- Knowledge and Understanding
A financial witness has a deep understanding of numbers. He or she can look at the books, notice inconsistencies and draw up a conclusion about what those inconsistencies mean. Little details could be enough for a financial expert to pinpoint the person responsible for a crime, such as money laundering. To be a good witness, the expert must do more than read the numbers and present them to the court. He or she must be able to paint a picture with the numbers given.
- Professionalism and Attitude
Financial expert witnesses have to be more than experts in their field. They have to be trustworthy in the eyes of the court. They should present themselves professionally and should be able to explain complex subjects with confidence. The court has to be able to trust that the witness is an expert and has to be able to understand the case being presented. Juries may become confused when presented with financial evidence. An expert can alleviate that confusion.
No matter the case, if finances are involved, you may require the help of a financial expert. To find the right witness for your case, you need to consider several factors. When picking between experts, you have to consider their experience, their knowledge and their professionalism. The expert is someone you have to trust.