The article is based on the authors' experiences as expert witnesses in cases involving civil rights violations, obscenity, and teacher terminations. It discusses four major areas that a social scientist must examine before agreeing to be an expert witness: (1) the social scientist's role must be determined, (2) there must be agreement on the legal strategy used, (3) the research design must be well developed and carefully reviewed with the attorney, and (4) the social scientist must carefully consider the extralegal consequences of being an expert witness. The authors critique the use, and often misuse, of the expert by attorneys and offer suggestions on how to deploy the social science expert most effectively. The positive and negative effects of media coverage on professional and personal relationships is explored. 25 footnotes.