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What does “value” of expert services mean to you? There are various responses to what each  individual considers as “value”.
“Value” has its worth in perceived need and consequences of action or inaction. Several dictionary definitions are: “fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something exchanged; the monetary worth of something; relative worth, utility, or importance.
“Value” of an expert’s opinion in litigation or insurance settlements is often a function of timeliness in delivery of the expert’s opinion before a court imposed deadline. What has “value” today may or may not have “value” tomorrow. The definition of “value” of a metals or welding expert depends upon the client who purchases the expert’s background, education, experience and knowledge.
The following provide a reasonable basis for “value” of metal/welding expert opinions:
Background – Some individual’s “value” a cool drink of water after wandering for days in the desert. Others value a good pair of sturdy, walking shoes that support their feet on a wilderness hike. Still there those who spend hundreds of dollars on a bottle of wine, and millions of dollars to buy a Picasso or Rembrandt painting. When considering the need for a legal opinion, consider the expert’s background and it’s “value” to a judge or jury.
Education – Some people have no need for a technical library or structured classroom training. These people will figure things out themselves, given enough time. Reading the technical experiences of generations who have come before us and prevents others from making the same mistakes or help find the correct answers with fewer mistakes. This is the ‘process of continuous improvement’.
Experience – Experience is the best teacher. Experience comes from doing something repeatedly. Insanity if doing exactly the same thing over and over, while expecting a different result. The best way to avoid mistakes is to do nothing. Experience, whether happy or sad, is the result of many personal active endeavors. Learning by trial and error provides invaluable experience. It takes years to gain experience.
Consider that a legal expert with 40 years experience may have had 1 year’s experience 40 times; or 40 years of experience in a single career. Remember to take the time to sharpen the axe.
Knowledge – Background, education and experience mixed together make knowledge. Knowledge can become wisdom in some people. Knowledge requires perseverance, diligence, effort and focused attention to finding the truth. Knowledge generally comes with the age of an expert. Sage advice rarely comes from young people. Remember, always take time to ‘sharpen the axe’, it will be worth it.
What has “value” to one person may not have “value” to someone else.
 In legal matters, “value” is generally sought-after and acquired in what seems to be the most convenient way. Using the internet, Google a topic with a few key words and you can read hundreds of entries, resources materials, definitions or answers. With a “one size fits all “mentality” and no regard to authenticity of the author or source, you may have no need for a specific response to your query. General information has more “value” to the inquirer than the “value” for a very specific perceived need in a courtroom.
A good metals/welding expert has more “value” in the juris-prudence system that anywhere else he can work. The legal system only seeks truth and justice for the plaintiff and defendant. A metals/welding expert must be properly qualified, currently certified, registered as a professional engineer and capable of focusing on a specific topic during a legal dispute to provide an expert opinion to the court.
A legal expert seeks, finds, filters and tells the truth to the best of his ability. The truth is based on facts determined to be accurate in a specific matter of interest. Facts are sometimes difficult to find and require a researcher with background, education, experience and knowledge to locate in resource materials and interpret the findings. Time is of the essence when an expert is seeking to find the truth. Experts work for an hourly wage, fact-finding is often expensive, depending upon one’s “value” of the facts and resulting truth. Experts must be paid in advance for services, before releasing their findings, to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
 When a metals and welding expert performs testing, he uses his background, education, experience and knowledge to sort out the noise contained in test results to find the most suitable answer. A metals/welding expert applies his background, education, experience and knowledge to clean and examine the subject part visually, nondestructively and destructively.
I utilize numerous established laboratory procedures which are validated in accordance with my firm’s International Standards Organization (ISO) policies and nationally recognized references. ISO Procedures and Work Instructions address specific information gathering and consistent means and methods. Reference standards and specifications are developed by an unbiased committee of knowledgeable contributors who are committed to facts, truth and reproducibility of test results. Periodic audits of a certified ISO system are a meaningful aspect of maintaining the accuracy and integrity of unbiased findings. Written findings are reported in an expert letter and orally presented in a deposition before a court recorder.
Afterward, opposing experts review the expert’s responses to questions and explanations. Some experts are in agreement, while others may disagree with the stated findings. This is the nature of a dispute between two parties.
Experts have taken legally binding oaths to tell the truth contained in opinions. It is important that the expert is independent of bias. Bias comes in many forms. An employee may be biased in telling the truth to keep his job or receive favorable comments at his nest annual review with his supervisor. An expert may have a financial interest in the outcome of a case, if he hasn’t been paid in advance for the time to present his testimony.
A legal expert must be ethical and financially independent from bias in determining the facts in a legal matter. The expert’s only interest to determine the truth about a matter of interest within the scope of his assigned contribution to the proceedings.
Clients can only expect to receive facts to the best of the expert’s ability with the equipment and allotted time that was available to use for evaluating their case. When an expert testifies before the judge or jury, he must be free of bias and tell the truth about the matter of question.
What “value” is placed on the unbiased truth presented in a timely manner by a renowned expert on the subject?
Present your case in court or substantiate your claim with undisputable facts from an unbiased expert. “Value” has worth in the perceived need and consequences of favorable or unfavorable verdict.
CHOICES: Always consider “value” when hiring your metals/welding expert.
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