Red flags to look out for
You should be on the look out for red flags which might indicate that the person approaching you does not represent a respectable and legitimate agency:
• The approach is unsolicited, and the contact does not offer a reasonable basis for it, such as a recommendation from one of your colleagues or the fact that you have the skillset they need for a specific case. • You have recently qualified or are currently in training within your field, and the contact indicates that this will not pose an issue when performing expert witness duties. • The contact approaching you doesn ’ t have a good grasp of the publicly available information about your qualifications and experience and doesn ’ t seem to understand fully where your qualifications and experience place you in the context of your profession and the specifics of the case. • The rates offered are materially below the market rates. If you don ’ t know the market rate for an early career expert witness in your field, you could ask a colleague or in an expert witness forum. • The contact suggests that assessments can be performed in inappropriately short timeframes and does not provide a clear explanation as to how your reports will be used. • The contact offers a fixed rate for the expert report with no mention of how any future commitments (e.g. such as answering Part 35 questions or attending expert discussions) will be remunerated. • The contact is not clear about when you will be paid or asks you to wait for a very long time before you will be paid and does not guarantee that you will be paid in full for your work.
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