Here, you’ll find some of the most common expert witness frequently asked questions we receive about our law firm and our services. To read more about a particular service area, see the Frequently Asked Question.
Expert Witness FAQs
Most expert witnesses and special masters charge by the hour. For example, Howe Law Firm currently charges $475 per an hour. For “Live” testimony, some experts charge a minimum fee (e.g., 4 hour minimum). Click here to see our current fees.
A digital forensics joint expert, also known as a computer forensics joint expert, is someone with deep technical experience, and ideally, legal experience as well. Joint experts can reduce ediscovery costs by bringing the parties together for a meet and confer discussion to negotiate a discovery protocol at the outset of litigation. This simplifies, speeds up, and reduces common conflicts throughout the exchange of electronically stored information.
A digital forensics expert witness has extensive computer forensics experience. As your party’s witness, the digital forensics expert can guide you through the exchange of electronic evidence from how best to locate, identify, review, and produce digital evidence to the other side. Your expert can also provide declarations and testimony as needed to authenticate evidence for use at trial.
A digital forensics special master, also known as a computer forensics special master, is someone appointed by the court to carry out orders of the court. With a deep technological background and legal expertise, a digital forensics special master brings a unique ability to mediate all levels of the edicsovery process. A special master can reduce overall discovery costs by helping the parties negotiate a discovery protocol in the early stages of the litigation. Then they ensure each party complies, and that the parties get the electronically stored information (ESI) they need to support their claims and defenses as quickly as possible.
An ESI agreement, also known as a discovery protocol, is an agreement between two or more parties in a lawsuit. Specifically, it deals with the processes, procedures, and timeline for how to exchange electronically stored information (ESI). Ideally, the best time to enter an ESI agreement or discovery protocol is at the outset of litigation while complying with Rule 26(f) meet and confer requirements. Commonly, the agreements will cover which devices or accounts, relevant date range, search terms, and data types subject to forensic collection.