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Review of Case Materials
Reviews records, documents, testimony, data, and other relevant materials and consults with counsel regarding technical issues related to the matter.
Provide Expert Analysis
Applies specialized knowledge and experience to evaluate the technical or professional issues involved.
Form Expert Opinions
Develops independent, supportable opinions based on the available evidence and relevant standards.
Prepare Expert Reports
Prepares clear, well-supported expert reports outlining methodology, analysis, findings, and opinions.
Provide Deposition Testimony
Explains findings and opinions under oath and responds to questioning during deposition testimony.
Testify in Court
Presents specialized findings and opinions clearly to judges, juries, arbitrators, or other decision-makers.
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Evidence preservation concerns maintaining an item's condition and protecting it from avoidable loss, contamination, degradation, or alteration. Chain of custody documents where the evidence has been, who possessed it, and what happened to it over time. The two concepts are related but not interchangeable. A complete custody record does not by itself establish that an item was stored appropriately, just as proper storage does not replace documentation of transfers and handling.
Different evidence types require different handling and storage conditions. Moisture, heat, light, unsuitable packaging, physical contact, biological activity, or environmental contamination can change some materials over time. An expert can examine the item's condition, packaging history, storage environment, and applicable procedures to determine whether preservation conditions could have affected later examination or testing.
Some examinations change, consume, section, extract from, or otherwise alter the material being tested. The significance depends on the evidence type and analytical method. An expert can review sampling records, laboratory notes, photographs, remaining material, and the sequence of examinations to determine what was changed and whether sufficient evidence remains for comparison, confirmation, or additional testing.
Useful records can include collection documentation, evidence labels, photographs, chain-of-custody forms, storage logs, packaging records, laboratory submissions, condition reports, transfer receipts, testing notes, and records of repackaging or disposition. Comparing these sources can help establish the evidence's history and identify periods where its location, condition, or handling is unclear.
Preserved evidence may be suitable for additional testing, depending on the material, its current condition, how much remains, prior testing, storage history, contamination risk, and the requirements of the proposed method. An evidence preservation expert can assess those factors, while the specialist performing the particular DNA, chemical, document, digital, or other analysis may need to determine whether a specific test can produce reliable results.
