Testifying in Court: Guidelines and Maxims for the Expert Witness

The third edition of this classic resource provides mental health professionals with simple, practical advice for testifying in court. In this book, Stan Brodsky maintains his witty, conversational style of teaching while modeling ideal testimony. Short chapters blend humorous anecdotes with accessible guidelines drawn from Brodsky’s decades of experience as an expert witness and trainer, and from colleagues in various fields, including medical professionals. Each chapter concludes with a pithy maxim that emphasizes the most important takeaway for readers, making this book an ideal reference that can be consulted just prior to court appearances. New to this edition are: substantial updates and revisions to existing guidelines and case examples, new and updated topics, including advice for virtual testimony and revised coverage of culture and diversity in forensic evaluations, a clearer organization with chapters grouped by themes such as pretrial preparations, direct examination, and cross‑examination, and, an appendix that gathers all the book’s maxims together for easy reference.