Setting the Agenda: Family Communication Scholars as Expert Witnesses

ABSTRACT The legal community has long used family experts in preparation for court proceedings. Family law experts typically relied upon include psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and various family asset experts. However, the legal community is often unaware of family communication as a field and what we can add to the legal landscape to help families and resolve disputes. This article aims to (a) explain the role of expert witnesses in family law; (b) provide ideas for family law areas where communication scholars can be valuable; (c) provide an example illustrating how a family communication expert can help with pre-trial, trial, and post-decree procedures; (d) create a scaffolding for expert witness status; and (e) discuss limitations and constraints of the expert witness system, and suggest additional family law areas to be considered in the future.