Free checklist

Expert witness preparation checklist for US immigration court

A two-page working checklist for screening and preparing a country conditions expert, so that the expert is qualified by the immigration judge and gives clear, credible and impartial testimony.

We wrote it from our own preparation sessions and from what judges actually push back on. It follows US immigration court practice on specialised knowledge, FRE 702 and the spirit of Daubert.

What is inside

• Screening. What to confirm before you accept an expert: country-specific expertise, prior qualification, nameable sources, English for live testimony.
• Voir dire readiness. The one or two sentences that connect the expert's field to this country, and the questions to rehearse.
• Substance and methodology. How to make every opinion traceable to a source and a method.
• Neutrality. The language that costs credibility, and the compensation rule that must hold.
• Legal conclusions. The line the expert must not cross, and why judges react to it.
• Communication and logistics. Answering in a US court, and the remote testimony set-up.
• Eight common pitfalls in a table, each with the better approach.

Who it is for

Immigration attorneys, paralegals and clinic supervisors who are instructing a country conditions expert, especially for the first time. It is equally useful to give to the expert before a hearing.

If you are looking for the expert rather than the checklist, you can browse our directory of country experts or read what we prepare and for which courts.