Don't forget, the deadline for inclusion in SEAK’s 2007 National Directory of Experts is April 30, 2007.
SEAK’s National Directory of Experts is the simple, professional, cost-effective, and risk free way to promote your availability for additional expert witness work.
We offer an unprecedented 100% money back guarantee. If you list yourself in the Directory and are not completely satisfied, you have until March 1, 2008 (almost a full year) to cancel your listing and receive a full refund of the standard listing fee.
SEAK’s print Directory is sent to over 50,000 law firms. Our Directory is also available online at http://www.seakexperts.com/index.aspx which is now averaging 4-million hits per year and includes direct links to your email and website.
Your listing will also be made available to attorneys using LexisNexis which receives over 3 million hits per month.
To become listed in the Directory and online database, please visit our expert directory. The application takes about five minutes to complete.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if there is anything I can do to assist you.
Very truly yours,
Alex Babitsky, MBA
Directory Manager
(508) 457-5150
Alex@seak.com
P.S. Please act right away as the deadline for inclusion in the 2007 Directory is April 30, 2007.
2007 National Legal Fiction Writing Competition for Lawyers Sponsored by, SEAK, Inc.
SEAK, Inc is sponsoring the nation's 6th Annual National Legal Fiction Writing Competition for Lawyers.
The purpose of the competition is to encourage lawyers to become more interested in and adept at writing legal fiction.
FORMAT
A short story or novel excerpt in the legal fiction genre should be submitted. The submission should be typed and not exceed 2,500 words. (This will be strictly enforced).
DEADLINE
September 7, 2007
JUDGING
The submissions will be judged on originality, quality of writing, and the potential of the author.
Please do not send by Certified Mail.Submissions should be submitted to:
SEAK, Inc.—Legal Fiction Competition
ATTN: Steven Babitsky, Esq., President
P.O. Box 729
Falmouth, MA 02541
GUIDELINES
1. The competition is open to any licensed attorney in the United States and its territories.
2. The attorney's name, address, phone number, and e-mail address should be contained in the submission.
3. Only entries received by SEAK, Inc. on or before September 7, 2007 will be considered.
4. Only one entry should be submitted by each attorney.
ENTRY FEE
There is no fee to enter the competition.
PRIZES
FIRST PRIZE: $ 1,000 cash plus notice of your win will be sent to over 100 New York Literary Agents and to the Associated Press.
SECOND PRIZE: $1,000 SEAK Gift Certificate.
THIRD PRIZE: $500 SEAK Gift Certificate.
PRIZE Winners will be notified by email or phone.
CONDUCTING COMPETITION
SEAK, Inc., founded in 1980, is sponsoring the competition. SEAK, Inc. provides training, seminars and publications for attorneys, physicians and other professionals.
JUDGING
The judging will be done by a panel of judges at SEAK, Inc. No employees or relatives of employees of SEAK, Inc. are eligible to enter the competition. The decision of the judges is final and not appealable.
COPYRIGHT
All authors will maintain the original copyright to their materials.
For additional information please contact Steven Babitsky, Esq., President, SEAK, Inc., (508) 548-9443 or by e-mail at StevenBabitsky@seak.com; or visit our website at http://seak.com/semlfw07.htm
The purpose of the competition is to encourage lawyers to become more interested in and adept at writing legal fiction.
FORMAT
A short story or novel excerpt in the legal fiction genre should be submitted. The submission should be typed and not exceed 2,500 words. (This will be strictly enforced).
DEADLINE
September 7, 2007
JUDGING
The submissions will be judged on originality, quality of writing, and the potential of the author.
Please do not send by Certified Mail.Submissions should be submitted to:
SEAK, Inc.—Legal Fiction Competition
ATTN: Steven Babitsky, Esq., President
P.O. Box 729
Falmouth, MA 02541
GUIDELINES
1. The competition is open to any licensed attorney in the United States and its territories.
2. The attorney's name, address, phone number, and e-mail address should be contained in the submission.
3. Only entries received by SEAK, Inc. on or before September 7, 2007 will be considered.
4. Only one entry should be submitted by each attorney.
ENTRY FEE
There is no fee to enter the competition.
PRIZES
FIRST PRIZE: $ 1,000 cash plus notice of your win will be sent to over 100 New York Literary Agents and to the Associated Press.
SECOND PRIZE: $1,000 SEAK Gift Certificate.
THIRD PRIZE: $500 SEAK Gift Certificate.
PRIZE Winners will be notified by email or phone.
CONDUCTING COMPETITION
SEAK, Inc., founded in 1980, is sponsoring the competition. SEAK, Inc. provides training, seminars and publications for attorneys, physicians and other professionals.
JUDGING
The judging will be done by a panel of judges at SEAK, Inc. No employees or relatives of employees of SEAK, Inc. are eligible to enter the competition. The decision of the judges is final and not appealable.
COPYRIGHT
All authors will maintain the original copyright to their materials.
For additional information please contact Steven Babitsky, Esq., President, SEAK, Inc., (508) 548-9443 or by e-mail at StevenBabitsky@seak.com; or visit our website at http://seak.com/semlfw07.htm
How to Start a Lucrative Expert Witness Practice
An expert witness practice can be extremely lucrative. Expert witnesses on average earn $250-$400 per hour for their time spent assisting lawyers. Start-up costs and overhead expenses for experts are usually very low. Persons who wish to start an expert witness practice should follow the following four steps:
1. Determine if you are qualified to be an expert. Under the law, to be an expert witness a person needs “knowledge, skill, experience, training or education.” This is a fairly loose standard and it means that experience, knowledge or skills in the eyes of the law is just as important as education or training. It also means that you do not need an advanced degree.
Expert witnessing is not “just for medical doctors.” The authors sponsor an annual conference for expert witnesses. At the 2004 conference we had over 100 different areas of expertise in attendance from arborists, accident reconstruction and appraisers to vehicle dynamics, vocational rehabilitation and whistle blowing. Does your background qualify you to be an expert witness? It probably does.
2. Prepare a curriculum vitae (C.V.) appropriate for expert witness work. Before any attorney hires you, they’ll want to see your C.V. Curriculum vitae roughly means “academic life.” These are typically maintained and used by persons seeking a faculty, research, clinical, or scientific position, and persons who serve as expert witnesses. The expert’s C.V. usually includes education, publications, presentations, professional activities, professional membership, professional licenses, honors, and additional information. A C.V. is different than a resume in two major ways. C.V.s do not have “objective” sections and C.V.s are not limited to one page. In fact, for an expert who has published a lot or who presents frequently, a C.V. can become quite lengthy. Your first step in starting an expert witness practice is to draft a C.V. appropriate for expert witness work. If you need help with this, look for models on the internet or contact a colleague who maintains a C.V. for expert witness work.
3. Get some training on how to be an expert so you know what counsel is looking for and how to best deliver. Retaining counsel will be looking for your oral and written opinion, your help in challenging opposing experts and your willingness to testify at deposition and trial. Prior to spreading the word on your availability to serve as an expert it’s best to get some basic training on what experts do and how best to do it. You’ll also want to get a basic feel for the nuts and bolts of how much to charge and how to collect your fee. There are numerous publications and training seminars available that serve this purpose. Talk to your colleagues for recommendations on what they have found helpful and see if your professional societies sponsor any continuing education on this topic.
4. Spread the word. Once you’ve drafted your C.V. and obtained some basic information on how to be an expert, it’s then time to spread the word on your availability. Talk to lawyers you know and tell them you are available for this type of work. Write articles and speak on topics that might be of interest to litigators. Consider signing up for expert witness referral agencies. There are many of these that will feed you cases at no cost to yourself – they charge a locator fee to the attorney that is retaining you. If you are willing to make a small out-of-pocket investment, consider a listing in an expert witness directory or placing a small ad in a periodical read by litigators. An investment of your time and a small amount of money in spreading the word about your availability will likely be returned to you many fold.
Conclusion
Expert witnessing is an intellectually stimulating and financially rewarding endeavor. By following the above four simple steps you can be well on your way to starting a lucrative expert witness practice.
About the Authors
Steven Babitsky, Esq. and James J. Mangraviti, Jr., Esq. are President and Vice-President of SEAK, Inc. (www.seak.com) which provides training, texts, videos, marketing resources and other products and services for expert witnesses. They are both former trial lawyers. They are the seminar leaders for SEAK’s Annual National Expert Witness Conference which is held each June on Cape Cod, MA.
1. Determine if you are qualified to be an expert. Under the law, to be an expert witness a person needs “knowledge, skill, experience, training or education.” This is a fairly loose standard and it means that experience, knowledge or skills in the eyes of the law is just as important as education or training. It also means that you do not need an advanced degree.
Expert witnessing is not “just for medical doctors.” The authors sponsor an annual conference for expert witnesses. At the 2004 conference we had over 100 different areas of expertise in attendance from arborists, accident reconstruction and appraisers to vehicle dynamics, vocational rehabilitation and whistle blowing. Does your background qualify you to be an expert witness? It probably does.
2. Prepare a curriculum vitae (C.V.) appropriate for expert witness work. Before any attorney hires you, they’ll want to see your C.V. Curriculum vitae roughly means “academic life.” These are typically maintained and used by persons seeking a faculty, research, clinical, or scientific position, and persons who serve as expert witnesses. The expert’s C.V. usually includes education, publications, presentations, professional activities, professional membership, professional licenses, honors, and additional information. A C.V. is different than a resume in two major ways. C.V.s do not have “objective” sections and C.V.s are not limited to one page. In fact, for an expert who has published a lot or who presents frequently, a C.V. can become quite lengthy. Your first step in starting an expert witness practice is to draft a C.V. appropriate for expert witness work. If you need help with this, look for models on the internet or contact a colleague who maintains a C.V. for expert witness work.
3. Get some training on how to be an expert so you know what counsel is looking for and how to best deliver. Retaining counsel will be looking for your oral and written opinion, your help in challenging opposing experts and your willingness to testify at deposition and trial. Prior to spreading the word on your availability to serve as an expert it’s best to get some basic training on what experts do and how best to do it. You’ll also want to get a basic feel for the nuts and bolts of how much to charge and how to collect your fee. There are numerous publications and training seminars available that serve this purpose. Talk to your colleagues for recommendations on what they have found helpful and see if your professional societies sponsor any continuing education on this topic.
4. Spread the word. Once you’ve drafted your C.V. and obtained some basic information on how to be an expert, it’s then time to spread the word on your availability. Talk to lawyers you know and tell them you are available for this type of work. Write articles and speak on topics that might be of interest to litigators. Consider signing up for expert witness referral agencies. There are many of these that will feed you cases at no cost to yourself – they charge a locator fee to the attorney that is retaining you. If you are willing to make a small out-of-pocket investment, consider a listing in an expert witness directory or placing a small ad in a periodical read by litigators. An investment of your time and a small amount of money in spreading the word about your availability will likely be returned to you many fold.
Conclusion
Expert witnessing is an intellectually stimulating and financially rewarding endeavor. By following the above four simple steps you can be well on your way to starting a lucrative expert witness practice.
About the Authors
Steven Babitsky, Esq. and James J. Mangraviti, Jr., Esq. are President and Vice-President of SEAK, Inc. (www.seak.com) which provides training, texts, videos, marketing resources and other products and services for expert witnesses. They are both former trial lawyers. They are the seminar leaders for SEAK’s Annual National Expert Witness Conference which is held each June on Cape Cod, MA.
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