How Deep Knowledge of Coin Auctions Can Lead to a Career as a Tech Expert Witness in Legal Tech

When software is central to a legal fight, attorneys need more than just lawyers—they need tech experts who can stand up in court. That’s where tech expert witnesses come in. This career path isn’t just rare; it’s well-paid and growing fast, especially in areas like intellectual property, digital assets, and source code disputes.

I’ve sat on both sides of the table—building tech systems and later testifying about them in court. One case that stands out? A coin auction platform where the code itself was the problem. The authentication algorithms, data validation, and auction flow weren’t just technical details—they were the heart of a seven-figure legal battle.

If you’ve worked on software for marketplaces, digital certification, or blockchain-based asset tracking—especially in collectibles like coins—you already have the foundation to become a trusted tech expert witness.

Why Tech Expert Witnesses Are in High Demand in Legal Tech

Judges and juries don’t read code. But they *do* rely on experts who can translate it. As digital assets get more complex—think AI-graded coins, blockchain certifications, or automated bidding bots—disputes are increasingly technical. And that means more demand for litigation consulting from people who understand both the tech and the law.

Take this real-world scenario: A rare coin, graded by PCGS and approved by CAC, sells for 10x its guide price. A week later, the buyer finds a flaw—digital tampering in the certification data or a bot that rigged the final bids. Now the auction house is in court.

Do they need a coin expert? Sure. But they *really* need a technology expert witness who can:

• Trace how the auction platform’s code handles bids and verifications
• Check whether digital signatures in the certification data were ever validated
• Explain if the interface misled buyers about the coin’s authenticity
• Assess whether the auction house did enough to verify third-party grades

Case Study: Auction Platforms & Digital Grading Systems

A few years back, I was called in as a tech expert on a case involving a blockchain-based collectibles marketplace. Their platform automatically accepted PCGS and CAC grades, like GreatCollections does. But their code had a dangerous assumption: it trusted CAC approvals without checking if they were still valid.

Here’s what the code actually did:


function validateCertification(coinId) {
let cert = fetchFromPCGS(coinId);
if (cert.grade && cert.cacApproved) {
return true; // ❌ No check for revocation or data integrity
}
return false;
}


Simple, right? But in court, I showed how this created an opening for fraud. A seller could use a coin whose CAC approval had been revoked—yet the platform still labeled it “CAC-approved” because the code never checked.

My testimony broke down:

• Why skipping cryptographic verification broke basic data integrity rules
• Whether the auction house had a legal duty to verify, not just accept, third-party grades
• How the “approved” badge misled buyers—without ever saying “guaranteed”

It wasn’t about being a code critic. It was about showing how a small oversight in logic led to a big legal risk.

How to Position Yourself as a Tech Expert Witness

You don’t need to be a lawyer to work in court. You just need to speak the language of both tech *and* law. Here’s how to build that credibility—and get noticed.

1. Develop Deep, Niche Expertise

General software skills won’t cut it. You need domain-specific expertise that matters in legal disputes. In the world of coin auctions, that means:

• How PCGS and CAC store, update, and transmit certification data
• How auction platforms handle real-time bids, user rankings, and time synchronization
• Patterns of fraud in collectibles—bid siphoning, ghost bidding, metadata spoofing
• Digital provenance, time-stamping, and blockchain verification tools

Have you built or audited a marketplace for high-value items? That’s gold. But don’t just say “I built an auction site.” Say: “I designed a system that flags suspicious bid timing, which could prevent auction fraud in court.” That’s the difference between a coder and an expert.

2. Master Source Code Review for Legal Cases

Reviewing code for court isn’t about elegance—it’s about liability. You’re not looking for bugs; you’re looking for gaps in security, disclosure, or compliance.

In one case, I reviewed the bid verification logic of an auction platform. The code accepted timestamps from the *user’s device*, not the server. That meant someone could delay their bid, backdate it, and win unfairly.


// ❌ Vulnerable: client-side timestamp
function submitBid(amount, clientTimestamp) {
if (clientTimestamp > auctionEndTime) {
return error("Bid too late");
}
saveBid(amount);
}


This wasn’t just a flaw. It contradicted the platform’s own terms—“bids are processed in real-time server order.” In court, I argued that this mismatch could support claims of deceptive practices under consumer protection laws.

Key things to flag in code reviews:

• Violations of standards like OWASP or NIST
• Missing security checks (e.g., no hash verification, no revocation checks)
• Logic that contradicts public promises (e.g., “real-time bidding” but client-side time)

3. Learn to Communicate Technical Facts to Non-Technical Audiences

Your job isn’t to impress with jargon. It’s to *explain*.

I’ve learned this the hard way. Early in my career, I used phrases like “lack of cryptographic verification.” I lost the room in seconds.

Now I say: “They treated a digital grade like a paper certificate—assumed it was real without checking if it had been altered. That’s like taking a check without verifying the signature.”

Judges remember stories. Juries get analogies. Use them.

Instead of:

“The certification data lacked cryptographic verification, creating a potential attack vector.”

Try:

“The system never asked, ‘Is this stamp still valid?’ It just said, ‘It looks real,’ and let the sale go through.”

That’s the kind of testimony that changes cases.

Where Legal Tech Expert Witnesses Get Hired

Your expertise is needed in high-stakes areas across legal tech.

Intellectual Property Disputes

When two companies claim they invented a feature—like a new way to display coin provenance or a smart bidding algorithm—you can analyze the code to find out who did what first. I once compared two platforms with nearly identical tracking tools. Same bugs. Same variable names. That was evidence, not coincidence.

Consumer Class Actions

If an auction site says “CAC-approved” but never checks for revocation, you can prove the code fails to uphold that promise. That’s not just a bug—it’s misleading advertising, and it can fuel class-action claims.

Contract and Fraud Litigation

When a buyer claims they were sold a “problem coin,” you can examine the platform’s data logs, APIs, and disclosure workflows. Did the system know about the defect? Did it hide it? Your analysis can show whether the auction house ignored the truth—or just failed to look.

Actionable Steps to Launch Your Expert Witness Career

1. Build a public portfolio. Write blog posts or audit real systems on GitHub. Show you can find flaws—like unverified certifications or bid-timing loopholes—in actual code.
2. Reach out to law firms. Target those working in IP, fintech, or consumer protection. Offer a free 30-minute chat to discuss how tech issues play out in their cases.
3. Get certified. Forensic credentials like GIAC or EnCase add weight to your résumé, even if you’re not a full-time investigator.
4. Write a white paper. Pick a niche: “Three Code-Level Red Flags in Digital Grading Systems” or “How Bid Timing Bugs Enable Auction Fraud.” Share it with legal tech newsletters and LinkedIn.
5. Speak at conferences. Aim for events like LegalTech or IP Law Institute—places where tech and law intersect.

Conclusion: Turn Your Technical Expertise into Legal Authority

The courtroom needs people who understand both code and context. It’s one of the best career moves a tech professional can make—not just for the pay, but for the impact.

I’ve helped attorneys understand why a missing hash check mattered. I’ve shown juries how a coin’s digital history could be faked. And I’ve turned my experience building auction platforms into a second career as a litigation consultant.

You can do the same.

Start by looking at your own projects differently. Don’t just ask, “Does this work?” Ask, “Could this fail in a way that leads to a lawsuit?”

That question—and your ability to answer it—is what makes you valuable. Whether it’s a flaw in source code, a gap in data verification, or a misleading interface, your insight can shape legal outcomes.

And that’s not just expertise. That’s authority.

Related Resources

You might also find these related articles helpful:

• My Blueprint for Writing a High-Impact Technical Book on Niche Auction Markets (And How You Can Too) – Want to know a secret? Writing a technical book isn’t about fancy jargon or trying to sound like a textbook. It&#8…
• How I Built a $50,000 Online Course Selling Coin Grading and Auction Expertise – I still remember the first time I held a rare coin in my hands—its history, weight, and potential value all humming bene…
• How Mastering Auction Integrity Analysis Can Elevate Your Consulting Rates to $200/hr+ – Want to know the real secret to charging $200/hour or more as a consultant? It’s not about working harder or takin…