Experts in Civil Cases: An Inside View (Law and Society)

Prichard penetrates the hidden regions of product liability disputes, most of which are settled through negotiation. The most decisive negotiation in product cases occurs between scientific experts and attorneys on the same side. Each must manage their own conflicting professional interests. By the time the general public sees it, such cases have undergone countless revisions, radical shifts in nature, and corresponding shifts in the roles and relative dominance of the players. There is no separating the facts of the case from the nuanced social relations of the attorneys and experts putting it together. Prichard's work provides fresh evidence that science and law are antagonistic yet mutually constituting institutions.