JANUARY 9, 2019
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
4:00 - 5:00 PM (1.0 PDH)

WORKSHOP
4:00 - 5:00 PM (1.0 PDH)

Title : The Complete Expert Witness: More Than the Report

Speaker : Judge Michael Landrum w/ Harris County Judge for 113th Civil District Court

Michael Landrum is a mediator and arbitrator practicing in Houston. He is the former Judge of the 113th Civil District Court, in Harris County. He served as judge from the date of his appointment by Governor Rick Perry in May, 2013 until December 31, 2018. Michael is a native Houstonian. He grew up in the Spring Branch area and attended Memorial High School. He received his B.A. from The University of St. Thomas and a law degree from the University of Texas. Michael Landrum holds specialist certifications in the fields of Civil Trial Law and Civil Appellate Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Before being sworn in as judge, Landrum practiced law for 36 years. He dedicated his legal career to representing businesses and business people in matters involving a wide variety of transactional, litigation and appellate matters. Of interest to The Foundation Performance Association is that, before taking the bench, Michael Landrum represented parties in construction related litigation: Owners, Architects, General Contractors, Engineers, and Sub-Contractors of all kinds. For more than 25 years, he has been a member of the American Arbitration Association Construction and Commercial case Arbitrator Panels. In that capacity, he has rendered final awards in more than 250 cases. In addition to his usual professional practice, Landrum teaches a class about American courts at Houston Baptist University, serves as judicial liaison to the Houston Young Lawyers Association, lectures in continuing legal education programs, judges student mock trial and moot court competitions, and is active in Houston Bar Association activities.

ABSTRACT : Expertise is critical to the resolution of virtually every construction related dispute, because the most determinative issues almost always involve technical matters relating to design, construction and failure. These are matters outside the understanding of lay people, such as jurors, who are often charged with deciding the matters in controversy. Our dispute resolution system permits the submission of testimony from those who, by education, training and/or experience, have gained special knowledge about a given subject to guide the fact finder in understanding things in dispute which are beyond the general knowledge or understanding of most people. These expert witnesses are authorized to express opinions based on their analysis of information furnished to them; they need not have personally observed the events or conditions in issue. The outcome of a contested case often depends on the effective presentation of expert testimony. But that is not all, many cases are settled short of litigation in reliance on an experts work. To best serve in a case requiring expert analysis and possible testimony, it is important that an expert witness work well with the party and its attorney. Often, that requires more than expertise and a well written expert report. The expert should be a fully engaged member of the clients team in all phases of a case, from initial investigation through final resolution.