Attorneys' pressures on the expert witness: early warning signs of endangered honesty, objectivity, and fair compensation.
While most attorneys practice ethically and treat their retained experts fairly, there are a few that do otherwise. The authors describe "early warning signs" of the likelihood that the attorneys attempting to retain the psychiatric expert witness may compromise the expert's honesty and striving for objectivity. Experts themselves may have certain vulnerabilities that interfere with their ability to detect those early warning signs. Recommendations for the expert are offered.
Gutheil
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Program in Psychiatry and the Law, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02115, USA.
Simon
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RI
D003142:Communication; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000592:standards*; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007603:Jurisprudence; D016743:Mental Competency; D009014:Morals; D014481:United States