John Catlett owns J.D. Catlett Consulting, LLC, a full-service building and fire code consulting firm. He has over thirty years of experience in management, training, proposals, implementation compliance and more. Mr. Catlett has worked as a fire marshal, maintenance code official, and building plan reviewer and is a sought-after expert witness with over a decade of experience.

In this episode...

Mr. Catlett, advises a “three-p approach” to depositions and trials: “prepare, prepare, prepare”. Needing to refer back to your report as little as possible, establishes an air of preparedness and authority over the material and shuts down many of the opposition’s potential avenues of attack. There can be long delays between writing reports and depositions or trials, so Mr. Catlett recommends rereading case materials as important dates approach.

Be sure to check out the entire episode for tips on vetting, getting experience in the courtroom, and shifting expert roles.