Expert Witness Services
Technical Authority That Survives Cross-Examination
When a plastics failure ends up in litigation, opposing counsel will attack your expert's credentials before they touch his opinions. Ours are published. Paul A. Tres authored Designing Plastic Parts for Assembly — the industry-standard reference now in its 10th edition from Hanser Publications — and has spent four decades investigating exactly the failure modes at issue in your case.
Credentials That Withstand Daubert Scrutiny
- Paul A. Tres — Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), ASME member, SAE consultant
- Author of the leading textbook on plastic part design, 10th edition, published worldwide by Carl Hanser Verlag
- Seminar instructor to thousands of engineers at BMW, Mercedes-Benz, GM, Ford, Daimler, Bosch, Siemens, and other OEM/Tier-1 organizations
- Four decades of hands-on failure analysis: wall thickness, draft, gate location, weld lines, creep, fatigue, environmental stress cracking
- Forewords to prior editions written by SAE presidents and chief technical officers at Schaeffler, DENSO — his standing in the field is a matter of public record
Case Types We Support
- Product liability — plastic component failure, injury causation, design vs. manufacturing defect analysis
- Patent infringement — prior art analysis, claim construction support, invalidity opinions on part-design and joining-method patents
- Contract disputes — supplier quality escapes, tooling acceptance, specification compliance
- Insurance claims — root-cause determination for subrogation and coverage decisions
How an ETS Engagement Works
A structured process refined over hundreds of matters — built to be defensible at every step.
1. Conflict Check & Engagement
- We perform a conflict check against prior relationships before accepting any matter
- Engagement letter defines scope, deliverables, and fee structure up front
2. Investigation
- Review of pleadings, discovery, and prior expert reports
- Physical examination of failed parts; independent testing where needed
- Analysis grounded in published standards: ASTM, ISO, SAE, USCAR
3. Expert Report
- Written report stating findings, methodology, opinions, and limitations
- Every opinion supported by evidence and 40+ years of documented failure data
4. Deposition & Trial
- Deposition preparation with demonstrative exhibits
- Courtroom testimony that translates polymer science into plain language for judges and juries
Why Attorneys Choose the Author, Not Just an Expert
In cross-examination, the first question is always the same: "Why should the jury accept your opinion over the other side's?" When your expert wrote the book opposing counsel's own engineer studied in school, that question answers itself. Published authority is not a marketing claim here — it is case strategy.
| What Opposing Counsel Attacks | The ETS Answer |
|---|---|
| "You're not a real expert in plastics." | Fellow of SPE; author of the field's standard textbook, 10th edition |
| "Your methodology is ad hoc." | Analysis per ASTM/ISO/SAE standards; FMEA methodology; documented failure database |
| "You've never seen this failure mode." | Four decades of failure investigations across automotive, medical, consumer products |
| "You're a hired gun." | Conflict check before engagement; evidence-driven opinions including limitations section |
Request Conflict Check & CV
Tell us about the matter — case type, jurisdiction, product involved, and timeline. We run the conflict check first and respond within one business day with availability, a CV, and our fee schedule. Case history references available upon request.