The requirements for becoming a qualified Expert Witness in UAE can be categorized into two:
- Practical requirements, which are the most important;
- Legal requirements.
What Are the Legal Requirements for Being an Expert Witness in UAE?
An expert witness should have skill, training, education, experience, and knowledge that help the trier or judge in understanding the evidence presented in court and determine facts in a particular issue.
It's certainly a broad standard. With that being said, almost all adults can become qualified to be expert witnesses in certain areas. In some jurisdictions in UAE, they require physicians to testify as expert witnesses in medical malpractice cases and they should be of similar or the same specialties as defendants.
Read More : Why Is It Important to Hire Expert Witnesses in court?.
Practical Requirements for being a UAE Expert Witness
More practical requirements to be a UAE expert witness will prove to be more extensive. Some of them are the following:
- Demand for the professional’s area of expertise – a professional’s area of expertise has to be the specific one that a litigator is looking for
- Commitment to excellence and a competitive spirit – an expert witness in UAE should provide services that are of great quality. An court expert witness should stay competitive in the market, continuously acquiring knowledge in his/her area of expertise
- The ability is always beat or meet deadlines – take note that litigation is very crucial to deadlines. There are legal repercussions to not showing up in a timely manner.
- Lack of skeletons that are hidden in the closet like revocations of applicable licenses, criminal convictions, doing poorly to a job that’s resulted in a poor reputation, being disqualified on past assignments as an expert witness in UAE, controversial writings of the past, and more
- Having a schedule that is flexible in order to comply with trial appearances and depositions
- Having an employer or being self-employed to be allowed to serve as a UAE expert witness
- Having enough time to do the assignment of being an expert witness effectively – can mean working on weekends and nights
- Being thick-skinned and ready to take the stand – an expert witness is not an individual that does not like to speak up. The opposing side can make it the goal in challenging the credentials and work of the expert witness and paint him or her as a sloppy, unqualified, biased, and/or less-than-honest individual
- Great communication skills – an expert witness in UAE that lacks written and verbal communication skills can be seen as useless
- A fee schedule and a contract to perform as a UAE expert witness
- A CV so retaining counsel is able to review the professional's qualifications
- Having excellent skills in research, investigation, and organization
If you want to consult with an expert witness in UAE as you’d like to become one or you plan on retaining one for an impending case, don’t hesitate to contact us here in Farahat & Co, most especially for cases related to fraud and money laundering.
What is the Role of an Expert Witness?
While a professional or specialist may not have any experience in being a court expert witness in a courtroom, the court expert can still play a crucial role in the judicial process from his/her testing methods and expert knowledge. Reliable testing offers results that are accurate and with less error rate. This is very crucial in understanding a certain topic that’s both confusing to the general public and has a negative impact on the defendant.
There are a lot of experts which have critical roles not only in championing the defendant in a criminal case in a way that is most certainly not biased but also in proving to the court the evidence of the prosecution side. A court expert witness in Dubai can also prove useful for either a plaintiff or a defense in a civil case. An expert’s experience, knowledge, and complete understanding of a certain topic are what offer clients credibility for believing opinions.
Read More : Character and functionality of an Expert Witness.
Does an Expert Have to Possess Experience in the Job?
More often than not, a professional or specialist isn’t an expert or can’t be considered yet as an expert until he/she has training and experience on the job. This means it is required for a specialist to take part in any interaction in the courtroom. The professional may have to provide testimony, have a great relationship with seasoned lawyers in the country, and test certain evidence.
Some can work in a case on both sides. There are even those that work in civil and criminal cases. But, it is very crucial to focus on a certain aspect of a legal battle prior to thinking about or considering expansion. By the second time that the professional is hired, he may not have sufficient experience on the job to face issues or even have relevance to a certain subject.
Read More : What is the Legal Definition of Expert Witness and What is it About?.
