Land Mines with Expert Witnesses in Real Estate Valuation Matters

In real estate valuation litigation, a fair amount of evidence is presented through expert witnesses. Appraisers, engineers, planners, and other experts are employed to assist the fact finder in determining a property’s utility and value. An expert’s credibility is crucial to the client’s chances for success, so the attorneys involved must ensure that their experts have prepared quality expert reports and are adequately prepared for both direct examination and cross-examination. The attorneys must also work with their experts in seeking and defending against discovery requests.