Georgia expert witness: experts for Georgia state and federal courts.
Expert Witness Networks places board-certified physicians, licensed specialists and technical experts on Georgia cases for record review, written opinions, deposition and trial testimony. Serving Atlanta, Columbus, Augusta, Macon and Savannah and every county statewide.
How Georgia courts treat expert testimony
The rules every expert must meet in Georgia, medical or not.
Daubert
O.C.G.A. § 24-7-702 has applied Daubert in civil cases since 2005. HB 961, effective July 1, 2022, extended it to criminal cases. Section 24-7-702(f) lets Georgia courts draw on Daubert, Joiner and Kumho Tire.
Superior courts are the general-jurisdiction trial courts, with state courts handling misdemeanors and civil cases and a statewide Business Court for complex commercial matters. Appeals go to the Court of Appeals of Georgia, and the highest court is the Supreme Court of Georgia.
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Georgia
Georgia medical expert requirements
What a medical expert must satisfy before testifying in a Georgia malpractice case.
Who qualifies as a medical expert
The expert must have actual professional knowledge and experience in the relevant area: active practice, or teaching as employed faculty at an accredited institution, for at least three of the five years before the alleged act (O.C.G.A. § 24-7-702(c)(2)). The expert must belong to the same profession as the defendant (MDs and DOs are treated as one), but identical board certification is not required.
Certificate, affidavit or presuit requirement
The complaint must be filed with an expert affidavit that sets out at least one negligent act or omission and its factual basis (O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1). A 45-day grace period applies when limitations is about to expire, and a defective affidavit can be cured within 30 days of a motion to dismiss.
Out-of-state experts
Accepted. The expert need only be licensed in the state where they practiced or taught at the time of the act (O.C.G.A. § 24-7-702(c)(1)), with no Georgia license, registration or fee.
Statute of limitations
Two years from the injury or death, with a five-year statute of repose (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-71). Foreign-object claims have one year from discovery (§ 9-3-72). Children under five at the time of the act have until age seven, with repose at age 10 (§ 9-3-73).
Damage caps
None. The 2005 noneconomic cap was struck down in Atlanta Oculoplastic Surgery, P.C. v. Nestlehutt, 286 Ga. 731 (2010). The 2025 tort-reform law (SB 68) added no cap but limits how noneconomic damages may be argued and allows bifurcated trials.
Case & Record Review
Thorough review of records, imaging, reports and evidence.
Written Opinions
Clear, defensible expert reports and affidavits.
Deposition Testimony
Prepared, credible testimony under examination.
Trial Testimony
Plain-language explanation for judge and jury.
Defense and prosecution experts in Georgia
Under Ake v. Oklahoma, an indigent defendant who shows the expert’s subject will be a significant issue at trial is entitled to state-funded expert help. Brooks v. State, 259 Ga. 562 (1989), allows the funding request to be made ex parte. Public defender clients obtain experts through the Georgia Public Defender Council system (O.C.G.A. § 17-12-1 et seq.).
We place experts in homicide, abusive head trauma (shaken baby), child abuse and non-accidental trauma, competency and criminal responsibility, and vehicular cases.
Experts we place on Georgia cases
A sample of our roster. Beyond medicine we also place engineers, architects, geologists, meteorologists, questioned-document examiners, DNA specialists and attorney experts.
Questions attorneys ask about Georgia experts
Does Georgia apply Daubert in criminal cases?
Yes, since July 1, 2022, when HB 961 extended O.C.G.A. § 24-7-702 to criminal proceedings. Civil cases have applied Daubert since 2005.
What must a Georgia expert affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1 contain?
It must set out at least one negligent act or omission and the factual basis for each claim. The affiant must be competent under § 24-7-702, including the three-of-five-years practice or teaching test.
Does Georgia cap medical malpractice damages?
No. The Supreme Court of Georgia struck down the noneconomic cap in Nestlehutt (2010). SB 68 (2025) changed how damages are argued at trial but did not restore a cap.
Can an indigent Georgia defendant get a state-paid expert?
Yes. Under Ake v. Oklahoma, the defendant must show the expert’s subject will be a significant issue at trial. The request may be heard ex parte (Brooks v. State, 1989).
Can Expert Witness Networks provide an expert for a Georgia case?
Yes. Our experts travel and testify in Georgia state and federal courts for plaintiff and defense counsel, prosecutors, pro se parties and private individuals. You receive the expert’s CV and fee schedule before anything proceeds.
Sources
This page summarizes Georgia law for general information as of 2026 and is not legal advice. Statutes and case law change; confirm current requirements for your matter.
Tell us what your case requires.
Call or write with the specialty, the issues in dispute and your deadline. We will find the right fit.
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