In this earlier blog post, we discussed how our divorce litigation support services can include coaching someone on evidence rules when they are representing themselves in a litigated divorce. In this blog post, I’ll touch briefly on another aspect of divorce coaching. This involves working with expert witnesses and understanding how an expert can help support your case.
An expert witness is someone with expertise, including specialized training or education, in an area such as finance, taxes, child psychology, real estate, etc. An expert can serve in several capacities for someone who is representing themselves in a divorce proceeding. One of the things we do is to explain how an expert may help a client’s case, and what types of help they may want to seek from an expert.
In almost every case, it is good to get an expert involved early on. That way you can get a general opinion from them, as well as information on what they are relying on to formulate that opinion. That supporting material may be useful if you are going to be submitting evidence related to the expert’s opinion. In the event that records need to be subpoenaed for their review, an early introduction is also beneficial.
We can teach clients how to develop the experts—questioning them and using their expertise—to support a case. An expert can teach you what you should be asking them should they be called to testify or should you have to question another expert testifying on the same topic in your case. We can also help explain how to develop the expert evidence so that it will be accepted by the court.
It is not unusual for a client to come to us because their spouse is represented by an attorney, and they are representing themselves. While this may seem like a David vs. Goliath scenario, in fact, a well-prepared pro per litigant who has worked with an expert may find themselves with a very large boulder in their legal slingshot. Many times this boulder comes in the form of one or more expert witnesses.
The bottom line is that a little divorce coaching for a pro per litigant can go a long way. If you are looking for some practical advice and support in a litigated divorce, please contact us to see how we can help you. You don’t have to go it alone.
If you need help with your divorce, please give us a call at 1-800-359-7004. We’re here to help.