Question

When deposing an expert witness, the opposing attorneys try to achieve all of the following goals except:

a) understand the expert opinion
b) understand the expert credentials
c) seeking admission of guilt
d) obtain an assessment of how difficult the expert will be in this case

Answer 1

Opposing attorneys depose an expert witness to understand their opinion, assess their credentials, and determine how they might perform in court, but not to seek admissions of guilt, as experts provide opinions rather than fact-based testimony.

Step-by-step explanation:

When deposing an expert witness, the opposing attorneys typically aim to achieve several goals, with the exception of one. They strive to understand the expert opinion and the basis for this opinion, which includes assessing whether the expert's testimony aligns with the consensus among other experts in the field.

However, contrary to seeking admissions of guilt, which is generally a goal when questioning a party to the litigation or a witness to the facts, this is not a goal when deposing an expert witness. The expert is present to provide an informed opinion based on their knowledge and expertise, rather than to provide testimony regarding the facts of the case or admissions related to guilt.