System, method, and software for researching, analyzing, and comparing expert witnesses
The present inventors devised, among other things, system, methods, and interfaces for researching, evaluating, and comparing expert witnesses. One exemplary system includes interfaces that facilitate users entering queries regarding experts based on name or subject matter and filtering search results based on damage awards, case types, attorneys, clients and date range. The system also enables side-by-side comparisons of the cumulative litigation history for multiple experts, and provides an expert challenge report that indicates whether an expert has been challenged in past litigation, the result of any challenges, the presiding judges in the any challenges, and the text of the challenged testimony.
1. An online legal research system for researching expert witnesses, the system comprising:
one or more databases containing expert witness data, including area of expertise information, the expert witness data comprising a set of two or more expert witness records, with each expert witness record being associated with one or more legal cases, wherein for each associated legal case, the expert witness record is further associated with a corresponding expert role identifier, a corresponding challenge result based on a judge ruling on a challenge to the expert witness, and a corresponding award amount, and for each associated legal case, the expert witness record is further associated with one or more testimony documents;
a server operatively coupled to the one or more databases and configured to provide one or more client access devices a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface including:
hierarchical means for receiving a query regarding an area of expertise;
means for listing two or more experts found in the one or more databases in response to the received query;
means for selecting two or more of the listed expert witnesses; and
means, responsive to the selection of the two or more listed experts, for automatically retrieving from the one or more databases, tabulating, and displaying side-by-side data regarding the cumulative litigation history of the two or more selected experts.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data regarding the cumulative litigation history includes a number of litigation appearances for each of the selected experts.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the graphical user interface further includes user selectable means for filtering the displayed side-by-side data regarding the cumulative litigation history of the selected experts.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data regarding cumulative litigation history comprises legal roles, trial documents, testimony, attorneys, parties, courts, judges, case types, and awards.
5. A method of operating an online legal research system for researching expert witnesses, the method comprising:
outputting, to one or more client access devices, a hierarchical means for generating a query regarding an area of expertise;
receiving the query from a first one of the one or more client access devices;
running the query against an expert witness database containing two or more expert witness records, including area of expertise information, to identify a plurality of expert witness records corresponding to the query, with each expert witness record being associated with one or more legal cases, wherein for each associated legal case, the expert witness record is further associated with a corresponding expert role identifier, a corresponding challenge result based on a judge ruling on a challenge to the expert witness, and a corresponding award amount, and for each associated legal case, the expert witness record is further associated with one or more testimony documents;
outputting to one of the one or more client access device a listing of two or more expert witness records corresponding to the query; and
in response to user selection of the two or more of the listed experts, automatically retrieving, tabulating, and displaying side-by-side data from the expert witness database regarding the cumulative litigation history of the two or more selected experts.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the data regarding the cumulative litigation history includes a number of litigation appearances for each of the selected experts.
7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
filtering the displayed side-by-side data regarding the cumulative litigation history of the selected experts in response to a user selection.