An expert witness practice is a business, and it should be treated as one. Sure, if you are only going to do 1 or 2 cases a year and don’t want to set up a formal “business”, you can probably wing it and get by just fine. If you want to move beyond that introductory level, though, you’ve got some work to do.
The following checklist is a good starting point. Not everything on the list is 100% essential (especially the marketing/branding)… but you should at least consider everything below before you really get the cases flowing.
Business Formation
- Choose business name
- Register LLC or Corporation in your state
- Apply for EIN from IRS
- Open business bank account
- Set up accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks, Wave)
Legal & Risk Protection
- Consider creating standard retainer agreement/contract
- Purchase professional liability insurance (if desired)
- Review legal requirements for expert witness work in multiple states
Branding & Identity
- Design logo (if you intend to market yourself as a business)
- Purchase domain name (if you intend to create a website)
- Set up professional email address (separate from your personal or work address)
Marketing Materials
- Prepare CV (expert-focused)
- Create professional headshot
- Write fee schedule
- Draft a short bio (100–200 words)
Online Presence & Outreach
- Build simple website or landing page
- Create LinkedIn profile (or optimize existing one)
- Register with Expert Retainer 😉
- Create outreach list of attorneys/firms to contact
Business Operations
- Create case tracker spreadsheet
- Develop file naming/storage system (cloud-based)
- Set up billing/invoicing template
- Create checklist for report writing and deadlines
- Prepare templates for reports, correspondence, etc.
If this list is overwhelming, don’t sweat it. Work on it a little bit at a time. In just a couple weeks, you can easily be set up and ready to go!
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You don’t need to complete ANY of this checklist to join Expert Retainer. It’s free. Anonymous. Set up a profile in just a few minutes! CLICK HERE to get started!
