Event Details

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[Foundational Skills] From Expert to Expert Witness: What Archaeologists Need to Know

Registration Closed!

[Foundational Skills] From Expert to Expert Witness: What Archaeologists Need to Know

When: October 13, 2022 2:00-3:00 PM ET

Duration: 1 hour

Certification: RPA-certified


Pricing

Individual Registration: Free to SAA members; $69 for non-members

Group Registration: Free to SAA members; $89 for non-members


Christopher Dore, PhD, RPA, Heritage Business International

Dr. Dore has conducted archaeological expert witness work for over 20 years as a part of his work portfolio. He is a Certified Forensic Litigation Consultant, a professional member of the Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA), and the vice-president of FEWA’s southwest region. Dr. Dore is a co-author of the SAA’s Professional Standards for the Determination of Archaeological Value and has published in legal journals. He has served as an expert witness on high-profile cases nationally that have included criminal looting and artifact trafficking, but also fraud, insurance claims, hazardous waste liability, professional qualifications and performance, and plagiarism.
Applying one’s archaeological expertise to the legal system as an expert witness is rewarding and provides the potential to assist in site protection. However, the legal system operates under a different set of rules and practices. Archaeologists often take on their first job as an expert witness without understanding the context, role, and rules of a legal expert. Without this understanding, archaeologists often end up having a stressful and unrewarding experience, being ineffective, and could have their professional reputations damaged. This seminar provides an introductory overview of the basic information need to successfully transfer one’s skills as an archaeological expert to those of an effective archaeological expert witness. Topics include qualifications, rules of evidence, contracts, best practices, marketing, reporting, communication, testimony, and ethics.
  1. Describe the basic framework of the U.S. legal system and the role of an expert witness
  2. Explain the key federal rules that qualify an expert witnesses and that expert witnesses must follow in their work
  3. Illustrate what archaeologists do as expert witnesses
  4. Provide attendees with the information to decide if expert work is for them
  5. Explore where to go to learn more