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Expert report

Definition

A written document prepared by the expert before trial or hearing, setting out their qualifications, the materials reviewed, the methodology applied, and the opinions reached with reasons. Most jurisdictions require the report to be disclosed to opposing parties in advance of the hearing.

Related terms

Daubert standard
The US federal evidentiary standard (Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 1993) requiring that expert testimony be based on scientifically valid methods with...
Chain of custody
The documented chronological record of who collected, handled, transferred, and examined a piece of evidence. For digital evidence, chain of custody includes...
Frye standard
The US legal test for admissibility of scientific evidence, originating from Frye v. United States (1923), which required that a technique be...
Hash value
A fixed-length digital fingerprint produced by running a file through a cryptographic algorithm such as SHA-256 or MD5. Identical files produce identical...
Hot-tubbing (concurrent evidence)
A procedure, originating in Australia and adopted in some UK and international arbitration proceedings, in which experts from both sides are questioned...
Part 35 (CPR)
Part 35 of the UK Civil Procedure Rules governs expert evidence in civil proceedings in England and Wales. It imposes a codified...
Single joint expert
An expert appointed jointly by the parties and the court, rather than by one side. Common in lower-value UK civil claims under...
Voir dire
A preliminary hearing at which a court tests whether a proposed witness or item of evidence meets the legal admissibility threshold. In...
Write blocker
A hardware or software device interposed between a digital storage medium and the forensic workstation that prevents any write commands from reaching...

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