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ADMINISTRATIVE-LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS <br />This refers to those administrative proceedings in which "generic" rules <br />are being considered. This may be in an agency rule-making hearing or in <br />Federal or State legislative proceedings in which proposed statutes are being <br />debated. There is usually only informational questioning, not in an adversary <br />setting. Often scientists appear in panels, and most of the time the bulk of <br />the testimony has been prepared in advance. <br />PRESENTING DIRECT EVIDENCE <br />The direct testimony in a court trial is usually given orally, often with <br />reference to a written report and always with access to written factual data <br />upon which the expert is relying in rendering his conclusions. And almost <br />always, the direct testimony relates to the effects of flow at specific <br />points. <br />In administrative proceedings, quite often the direct testimony is in <br />written narrative form and only the cross-examination is done orally. There <br />are many advantages to the written narrative: The witness and his lawyer can <br />be sure that the important points are covered, and difficult concepts can be <br />presented with more precision than is usually possible in oral testimony. <br />The opposition is usually given a week or two to study the document <br />before the witness appears. This allows them to narrow the areas of cross- <br />examination and to prepare for the often intricate questioning of the <br />scientific data. It allows the cross-examiner to have his own expert go over <br />the material with a fine-toothed comb. The end result is a more organized <br />hearing. It also allows the hearing to go forward without the necessity of <br />elaborate "discovery," since the tender of written direct testimony well in <br />advance of the hearing serves the basic purposes of pretrial discovery: <br />Avoidance of surprise. <br />Unfortunately, one of the by-products of the use of written direct testi- <br />mony which is entered into the record without reading is a feeling by some <br />witnesses that their testimony did not hold up well. This is because the <br />experienced cross-examining attorney chooses to question the witness only on <br />points on which he thinks the witness is not capable of giving firm, well <br />documented answers. Thus, witnesses have gone an entire day without being <br />asked to discuss their basic research. Nevertheless, the results of that <br />research will be used if it is adequately presented in the written testimony. <br />A large problem encountered by trial lawyers is the natural resistance on <br />the part of scientists to write a complete narrative rather than a short <br />precis of their work. There may be an assumption that whatever the rules at <br />the hearing, they will get to elaborate orally on the presentation. In several <br />instances the opposition attorneys have not cross-examined at all because <br />otherwise dangerous witnesses did not present a statement worthy of the under- <br />lying research or investigations. The rule to remember in writing direct <br />4