Rate for expert witness testimony

[kathicchc]

I have been asked to testify as an expert witness in a civil suit. If you have done this can you tell me what might be an acceptable hourly rate for preparation, deposition and testimony?

[Erin RN]

Hi

I have testified before and have been reviewing files for the last several years..going rate for an RN is 75.00-100.00 an hour. If you have any further questions feel free to PM me. Erin

[kathicchc]

Thanks so much for your help--I had no idea where to start.

[turbohound]

Hi kathicchc,

I've worked as a consultant, and testified as an expert in financial cases (I'm a CPA), and in my experience, it is standard to charge triple your hourly rate for time actually spent in testimony, rounded up to the nearest 8 hour day.

In example: If you are called to the stand on two separate days, each time for two hours, you would bill for 2 days X 8 hours (for each day called) @ triple your usual hourly wage rate. This will cover both pre-trial prep with attorneys and case files, time spent in testimony (and waiting to testify...), and time spent in post trial billing and collection.

Hope this helps,

Ryan