Had to choose between two expert witnesses for a merger case in Dallas

I was working on this merger dispute where we needed an expert witness on valuation. My firm gave me two options: a professor from UT Austin with a ton of academic cred but no real court experience, or a former CFO who had testified in like 30 cases but had a bit of a messy resume. I went with the CFO because he could explain things in plain English for the jury. During cross, the other side tried to trip him up on a past bankruptcy he was involved with, but he handled it like a pro. The judge even complimented his clarity in the final instructions. Has anyone else had to pick between academic vs. practical experience for a witness?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade_lane1927d ago

Picking the practical guy saved me in a similar case too.

simonw4127d ago

OH man you are SO right. I went through this EXACT thing with my last boyfriend where EVERYONE was telling me to pick the flashy guy and I went with the boring stable one instead. Best decision I ever made honestly. The practical guy shows up when he says he will and actually pays attention to the little stuff like remembering your work schedule. Meanwhile the flashy one is probably off somewhere trying to impress someone else while you're left wondering where he is at midnight. People don't realize that consistency and reliability are WAY harder to find than a guy who can plan one good date.