A highly educated expert in any field naturally earns others’ respect. When a news program needs an expert, they will seek out a top in their field individual to speak on the topic, providing a thorough understanding on a topic.
When a lawyer needs an expert witness to help educate a judge and jury on a topic, like digital marketing fraud, they seek out the best too. One key ingredient to finding an expert is choosing one with an educational background. It’s a general belief the best expert witness should have a master’s or Phd. in the field.
It’s the same for employers. A good candidate resume shows educational credentials involving research and writing academic papers. It means they’ve proven they know the industry from a micro and macro viewpoint. Yet when a new graduate begins searching for work, they may struggle to answer questions about the hands-on experience. Business leaders usually want a candidate who has had time to practice what they’ve learned. And will this candidate need time to learn on the job, or can they jump in and produce great results right away?
Some businesses are willing to invest time into a new academic. Yet, in some situations, there isn’t time to figure it out. When an attorney needs an expert witness, results must be thorough and quick. Avoid complicated industry language when you can. And if you can’t, you must know how to translate that language so a jury can clearly understand it. This is not a learn it on the job situation.
Education vs. experience and why an expert witness requires both
Let’s get this out of the way: yes, I have a solid academic resume. And it goes like this: PhD, University of California, Berkeley; MA, University of California, Berkeley; BA, Harvard University. If you’re researching expert witnesses, check that off the list. Although I am proud of my academic achievements, my experience in digital media marketing is where I bring up-to-the-minute value. Teaching digital media marketing at Stanford Continuing Studies has taught me how to communicate the topic to those who may have little understanding to begin. I also write workbooks and update them every year. One provides achievable steps for reaching the top of Google search results and leveraging AdWords. I stay curious and keep up with how social media marketing is evolving. Now that AI is becoming standard practice in digital marketing, I’ve written an AI practical tutorial book to help.
The books reflect my work as a marketing consultant. My clients reflect business owners who have a stronger SEO strategy by working with me. A few of those clients are lawyers too! Part of my work has also been helping them implement strategies to avoid digital fraud when possible. But fraudsters are evolving too, and it’s why I enjoy speaking to a jury as a digital fraud expert witness.
Indeed posted an article about education vs. experience in the workforce. A key takeaway is that employers normally want both in their candidates. Another trait employers look for is someone who remains curious and continues learning about their field. No company benefits from a burned-out ‘expert’ who regurgitates the same talking points month after month. They need someone who has a finger on the pulse of what’s happening now. If you need an expert witness for your digital marketing case, I have the education and experience to share your story with a judge and jury.
