Alexandria, Louisiana-based attorney and BV insider L. Paul Hood offered simple, yet compelling, insights on how BV experts can make themselves more appealing to hiring attorneys during his informative session, “Burning Issues Within the Appraisal Industry” at the 2009 NACVA and IBA Consultants Conference held in Boston last week. To put your best foot forward, Hood reminded attendees to:

1. Cultivate the ability to speak and answer questions in sound bites. Experts who can cogently make points in one or two sentences are prized, Hood told attendees.
2. Offer access to key financial and industry information.
3. Demonstrate that you can create appraisal reports that invite limited scrutiny. One way to do this, Hood said, is to remember what you leave out is just as important as what you include in appraisal reports. For example: When preparing reports and to diffuse criticism, Hood advises BV experts to document what they did, what they did not do, and to acknowledge reasons for choosing one method over another.
4. Highlight your experience. BV experts show ongoing learning through continuing education, writing, and speaking. “It’s all about a willingness to continue to learn and improve,” Hood told attendees.
5. Get credentialed. Hood says that credentials are necessary; he expects his experts to have at least one of the four, but two is definitely better. “Courts are more apt to criticize experts who don’t have credentials.”