There are several hundred areas of expertise identified in a survey by one organization in the U.S. – SEAK, Inc. (Ref. 1) I counted 307 in the referenced publication. And there’s a good number of experts within each specialty with slightly different backgrounds. I counted 24 in engineering, 45 in medicine and 8 in law.
SEAK’s guide to experts and their fees is based on 1,030 replies to a detailed, one page questionnaire sent out to about 8,500 experts in the U.S. The survey was carried out in 2003 so it’s dated regarding fees. But I believe it’s a good indication there’s a lot of different experts out there to serve your expert needs – the expert-resource.
How applicable are the survey’s findings as an indication of the expert-resource in Canada? I don’t know in detail but there’s no question the findings are a good indication there’s a lot of different experts in Canada as well.
Most experts will help you find the expert you need if they’re not qualified, or point you in the right direction. A more recent survey in Canada of 151 experts – 101 men and 51 women – found that the majority of experts know they serve the court. (Ref. 2) They also know that most disputes don’t go to court. They get paid to tell the truth, regardless the client – a good expert-resource.
References
- Babitsky, Alex, Babitsky, Steven and Mangraviti, Jr., James J., National Guide to Expert Witness Fees and Billing Procedures, SEAK, Inc., Falmouth, Mass. 2004
- Corbin, Ruth M., Breaking the Expert Evidence Logjam: Experts Weigh In, Annual Review Civil Litigation 2016
(Posted by Eric E. Jorden, M.Sc., P.Eng. Consulting Professional Engineer and Forensic Engineer, Geotechnology Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, September 29, 2026)