The Expert Expert Witness

Psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals may be experts in their respective fields, but this expertise does not easily translate to effective courtroom testimony. Even veteran expert witnesses can encounter new challenges in these high-pressure situations, especially during a cross-examination where every statement and gesture can be scrutinized by an attorney searching for ways to dispute the expert's credibility and opinions.

For more than two decades, Stanley Brodsky has taught expert witnesses simple and practical strategies they can use to negotiate challenges in the courtroom and give strong, effective testimony. In this thorough update to his classic guide, Brodsky and his equally prolific coauthor, Thomas Gutheil, continue to provide sage, humorous advice that will put expert witnesses at ease and allow them to comport themselves with poise and confidence throughout direct and cross-examination.

Short chapters punctuated by memorable maxims draw from the authors' expansive personal experiences, as well as research and stories from other expert expert witnesses, to create this must-have resource that will inform and entertain expert witnesses for many years.

Stanley L. Brodsky, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychology, the University of Alabama. He is author of 14 books and about 250 articles, mostly in psychology applied to the law. He has been the recipient of distinguished achievement awards from the American Psychology-Law Society, The International Association of Forensic and Correctional Psychology, and other scholarly and professional societies. He is a frequent leader of workshops based on his book Testifying in Court. For fall of 2013, he was a Visiting Fellow in the Program in Psychiatry and the Law of Harvard Medical School.  Dr. Brodsky has been a visiting fellow at universities in New Zealand, India, Israel, and England.

Thomas G. Gutheil, MD, is professor of psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center and cofounder of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law, Harvard Medical School; he is the first professor of psychiatry in the history of Harvard Medical School to be certified in both general and forensic psychiatry. Recipient of every major award in the forensic field and multiple teaching and writing awards, Dr. Gutheil has authored or coauthored more than 300 publications in the national and international forensic literature. He is past president of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law and the International Academy of Law and Mental Health. Associated with the Massachusetts Mental Health Center for a half-century. Dr. Gutheil lives and works in the Boston area.