When parties hire an expert witness in preparation for trial, the expert will typically compile a report that analyzes the facts of the case and the relevant law.  An expert witness report is used by judges and litigating parties to help understand the issues surrounding the case, and often provides the basis for expert witness testimony if and when the case goes to trial.  Expert witness reports are critical to litigation, so it is disheartening to read the JDJ Journal story about law professor James Feinerman plagiarizing most of an expert report on the Chinese government from popular online information hub, Wikipedia.  Feinerman, hired as an expert for a case involving illegal disclosure of trade secrets, copied 13 of his 19-page report almost word-for-word from a Wikipedia entry on the Chinese government, and in doing so has damaged not only his professional reputation but the legal practice as a whole.