regardless of the area of their professional competence, many individuals are not temperamentally or geared to working as part of a team. doubtless this problem is more prevalent with certain professions than with others because of the nature of the work and other factors. assessing whether a prospective expert will be a team player is a critical decision that must be made very early in the relationship,before the expert is retained. reference checks and personal interviews help in making this determination. effective management of the expert in the case, the security of sensitive investigative data, and the effectiveness of the expert as a witness on the stand are only a few of the overriding considerations that dictate using only team players in expert roles.