To work as a maritime expert witness, you must have a thorough understanding of what happens on the open seas, as well as experience with the international legal system and a general understanding of its law and protocol. Additional skills and experience can aid in the advancement of a career as a maritime expert witness. Some of these activities include outreach and advertising, as well as formal legal presentations.
The experience that one of these professional legal consultants brings to the table is one of the first things that legal teams consider when hiring a maritime expert witness. The maritime expert witness should be familiar with a wide range of legal issues and incidents that occur at sea or in local or international waters. Ship sinkings and groundings, as well as structural issues with ship mounts or boat jacks and holders, are examples. Another category of common occurrences is anchor failures and other mooring issues. It also aids the maritime expert witness in comprehending what occurs in maritime legal matters that go beyond the safety of the craft and crew, such as oil spills.
A maritime expert witness should have some understanding of water engineering principles. Qualifications in hydrodynamics or other aspects of sea transportation can be extremely advantageous. In the national or regional justice system in which they practice, this type of legal consultant should also be familiar with the specific legislation that governs maritime law. In the United States, for example, specific legislation such as the Jones Act results in different rules for maritime law than for similar issues that occur on land or in other countries’ waters.
In addition to knowing about shipping and other aspects of maritime law, the expert witness should have a thorough understanding of how courts work in his or her own country as well as internationally. Municipal court experience can be extremely beneficial in advancing one’s career as a maritime expert witness. It also helps to have connections and experience speaking with maritime attorneys. These kinds of connections can really help a maritime expert witness get more clients.
Professionals often recommend that maritime expert witnesses know how to market and advertise their services to legal teams, in addition to having all of the necessary skills and qualifications. To broaden the client field and promote a greater set of capabilities for a maritime expert witness, it helps to have experience and present services to both defendants and plaintiffs. Although word-of-mouth advertising can be effective, industry experts frequently advise using business cards, as well as targeted Internet, radio, and print media advertising, to reach potential clients.