How much does an expert charge for an expert report?

Question

José Manuel Alburquerque · Accepted Answer

There is no official rate, because each expert sets their own fees freely and professional associations are not allowed to lay down fee scales. As a very rough guide, a simple report may cost a few hundred euros and a complex one several thousand. The price depends above all on the field of expertise, the hours of work and the tests that need to be carried out. Going to court to defend the report is usually charged separately, so it is advisable to ask beforehand for a written quote stating what it includes. What the price depends on Experts usually quote on the basis of the hours they expect to spend on the job or at a fixed price. What most affects the figure is the following: The expert's field and experience. Each profession has its own market rates and a highly regarded specialist usually charges more. The scale of the matter, that is, the documents to be studied, the site visits and the technical tests, such as analyses, measurements or the examination of a phone or a computer. Urgency, if the report has to be ready at short notice to be submitted with the claim or with the defence. Attending the trial to ratify the report, that is, to confirm it and answer questions from the judge and the lawyers. This is usually quoted for separately, by the hour or per session, plus travel. When requesting the quote, ask whether it includes VAT and whether part of it has to be paid in advance. If you do not yet know whether it is worth going to court, you can first commission a short viability assessment, which is cheaper than the full report. And if you win the case and the judge orders the other party to pay the costs, which are the expenses of the proceedings, you will be able to recover what you paid the expert, in whole or in part. If the court appoints the expert When it is the court that appoints the expert, because one of the parties asks it to, there is no set rate either. Within three days of being appointed, the expert can request, with a quote, a payment on account, which is an advance against their invoice. The court decides how much has to be paid in advance. When the work is done, the expert submits their invoice and, if the party that has to pay it considers it excessive, that party can challenge it before the court. If you have been granted legal aid (“asistencia jurídica gratuita”), the expert evidence will in principle cost you nothing. It is prepared by technical staff of the courts or the public authorities and, only if there are none, by a private expert appointed by the court.