Hey lawyers, could I make a living doing this?

[elicat]

A team of your legal colleagues at a big national firm are allowing me to have a blast, and make a tidy sum, doing research and writing an affidavit as an expert witness, and I'd like to keep doing more of this kind of thing.

I know a guy who has put together a good living as an expert witness. Very good. But the issue he's an expert in comes up every day and always will. If I do a good job on this case, I could get a few more cases over the next two years or so, but it's about an issue that is going on at this moment in time and isn't likely come up enough once this spate of cases gets resolved to keep me going for very long.

Do you think there is an open niche for a guy with a high quality Ph.D., but no law degree, to do what might be called "litigation research," basically working as a consulting historian for lawyers? There is History Associates, a company who says they do it (so this kind of work must exist). But I'm thinking of just one guy putting out a shingle. What do you think?

If it seems appropriate as the case winds up, I'll ask the lawyers I'm helping now for their view of it. But meanwhile I'm wondering if members of the KSR Bar Association have any thoughts?

[Darrell KSR]

No clue. Keep your CV updated, make it known to as many as possible, see how it goes before you venture out and try.

There is an entire list of expert witnesses put out by the Trial Lawyers association. Might check that out; see how many are in the field you're in, and there's your starting point.