Davis v. Margolis

In Davis v. Margolis, 215 Conn. 408, 576 A.2d 489 (1990), the Court discussed the contours of the qualification of experts as applicable specifically to attorneys. The court held that to be qualified as an expert witness in a particular matter, an attorney "must be found to possess special knowledge beyond that exhibited by every attorney simply as a result of membership in the legal profession." Id., 417. The court stressed, however, that such special knowledge properly may "emanate from any of a myriad of sources, such as teaching, scholarly writings, study or practical experience." Id. Nevertheless, the standard regarding expert qualification requires more than casual familiarity with the area of law about which the witness seeks to testify. Id., 416. The actual question before the court in Davis involved a claim that the trial court improperly had refused to allow the plaintiff to present the proffered expert's practical experience. The court did not, therefore, reach the merits of whether the attorney witness in question was actually qualified to testify as an expert witness. Davis v. Margolis, supra, 215 Conn. 417-18.