When we started in business in 2004, the primary sources for locating experts were listservs and personal recommendations from other attorneys. The Internet, already a notable source back then (Google went public in 2003), soon became the primary way to search for experts, while listservs essentially disappeared. And as law firms have gone through profound changes in size, consolidation, makeup and work styles, referral services have grown in number and importance. Vident Partners has also changed over the years, having been acquired by Thomson Reuters (Westlaw) in 2011 and re-emerging as an independent company in 2014. Today, as a mature boutique referral service, we provide the kind of custom service that is very hard to find in the referral service arena.
In the world of complex litigation in increasingly arcane new fields (cryptocurrency, for example), attorneys who need the kind of expert sometimes referred to as a unicorn (or even a pink unicorn) have a significant problem. It’s easy to find a human factors expert, although even within that large population there is considerable variance in ability and experience. But if you require a specialist within a very limited group of qualified experts, you are faced with two major challenges. First, you have to identify someone who not only has the right qualifications, but also is willing to serve as an expert witness. That is not always easy. Second, in a field with relatively few qualified experts, it doesn’t take long for all of them to be contacted by one or more law firms, leaving them unavailable to anyone else. So speed and accuracy in finding the right expert are paramount. A related problem arises when there are a reasonable number of qualified experts but a vast number of cases – e.g., addiction medicine specialists and DEA experts to testify for the defense in the massive (and ongoing) opioid litigation.
You do a lot of things every day that only a lawyer can do. Finding experts is not one of them – and it’s the only thing we do. At Vident, we excel in the hard-to-find expert, the complex litigation, and the increasingly common short window to designate. We have a collective 60+ years of experience in identifying and referring highly qualified experts for all kinds of litigation. We handle each assignment in a customized manner, making sure that we understand each case well so we can refer an expert who we know is a good fit. So when you need an expert, whether it’s a pink unicorn or an expert in a large and robust field, call or email us and give yourself the best chance to win your case.
