How I Wrote a Technical Book on Extracting Stuck Pennies from 1960s Coin Tubes (And How You Can Too)
October 1, 2025A CTO’s Framework for Solving Legacy Constraints: Lessons from Stuck Pennies in Vintage Coin Tubes
October 1, 2025
Ever sat in a courtroom and thought, “I could explain that tech issue way better”? You might have what it takes to be a tech expert witness—someone who turns complex software, hardware, and material science into clear, courtroom-ready insights. It’s not just about knowing the tech. It’s about making it make sense when it matters most.
Why Expert Witnessing is Lucrative
If you’re good with tech and love clear communication, this career path pays well—and respects your expertise. Law firms don’t just want someone who *knows* the code. They want someone who can translate it for a jury in a way that’s accurate, fair, and easy to follow.
We’re talking about high-stakes cases: patent fights, data breaches, product failures, and IP theft. These aren’t abstract debates. They’re real disputes where your knowledge of software behavior, data structures, or how materials react under stress can swing a verdict.
The Demand for Expert Witnesses
Tech is in everything now—phones, medical devices, cars, even refrigerators. When things go wrong, lawyers need someone who can say, “Here’s exactly how and why.”
Whether it’s a startup accused of copying code or a manufacturer facing a recall due to overheating laptops, your insight as a technical expert witness can make the difference between confusion and clarity in the courtroom.
Opportunities in Litigation Consulting
Many tech experts don’t testify at all. Instead, they work behind the scenes as litigation consultants, helping attorneys understand the facts before a case even reaches trial.
You might analyze a disputed algorithm, break down a cloud infrastructure breach, or explain why a circuit board cracked under stress. Your work shapes the strategy—and often, the outcome.
Understanding the Role of a Tech Expert Witness
Your job? Be the bridge between tech and law. Judges and juries aren’t engineers. They need someone who can cut through the jargon and say, “This code does X, and here’s why it matters.”
You might:
- Write detailed technical reports that stand up to cross-examination.
- Testify about code similarities in a patent case.
- Explain how a device failed due to material stress or software bugs.
Source Code Review for Legal Cases
One of the most common tasks? Source code analysis. You’ll dig into lines of code to spot differences, similarities, or flaws.
Imagine a patent dispute where two apps do almost the same thing. You’re asked: is one a copy? Your job is to compare the logic, structure, and implementation—not just whether the buttons look the same.
A practical example:
// Pseudocode for identifying code similarity
function compareCode(code1, code2) {
let similarityScore = 0;
for (let i = 0; i < code1.length; i++) {
if (code1[i] === code2[i]) {
similarityScore++;
}
}
return similarityScore / code1.length;
}
Note: Real analysis is more nuanced (think structure, algorithms, and intent), but this shows how you quantify technical overlap in a way that’s objective and defensible.
Intellectual Property Disputes
IP cases live in the details. Did a former employee bring code from their old job? Is a patent being infringed by a subtle but critical function?
You’ll analyze how an algorithm works—its logic, performance, and originality. Your testimony can prove (or disprove) theft, novelty, or independent development. And in court, clarity is everything.
The Importance of Material Science in Expert Testimony
Software isn’t the only tech in play. Material science matters—especially when hardware fails.
Ever had a phone crack near the charging port? Or a laptop that shuts down when it gets warm? The culprit might be how materials expand or contract under heat. That’s where coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) comes in.
Thermal Expansion and Contraction
Let’s talk about those stubborn coin tubes—you know, the plastic ones that jam when coins are stuck?
Someone posted a simple trick: heat the tube. The plastic expands more than the metal coins. Pop—out they come.
That’s not just a life hack. It’s a real-world example of thermal dynamics in action. And it’s directly relevant to tech litigation.
For instance:
- Plastics typically expand more than metals when heated (higher CTE).
- In electronics, mismatched expansion can crack solder joints, warp circuit boards, or separate casings.
- Understanding this helps explain why a device failed in Arizona but not in Alaska.
Practical Applications in Litigation
Say a medical device fails during a heatwave. Did the design account for local temperatures? Were the right materials chosen?
As a material science expert witness, you can analyze the CTE of components, simulate stress under temperature, and determine if the failure was predictable—or preventable.
Building Your Career as a Tech Expert Witness
So how do you get started? It’s not just about being a brilliant coder or engineer. It’s about positioning yourself as the person lawyers *want* in the room.
Develop Deep Technical Expertise
Start with mastery. Whether you live in Python, embedded systems, or semiconductor design, build a reputation for knowing your field inside and out.
Stay current. Tech moves fast. What’s standard today might be obsolete in two years—and that matters in IP cases.
Gain Experience in Legal Contexts
You don’t need to be a lawyer, but you do need to understand the legal process.
Work with law firms on smaller cases. Offer analysis for depositions. Volunteer to help with technical discovery. See how attorneys use expert reports. Learn what holds up under cross-examination.
Build a Portfolio of Work
Create clear, concise case summaries. Write short white papers on technical issues in past projects. Include findings, methods, and conclusions.
Even if you haven’t testified yet, a strong portfolio shows law firms you can think critically, write clearly, and present technical facts—the core of a great tech expert witness.
Network and Market Yourself
Join groups like the National Academy of Forensic Engineers or IEEE Standards Association. Attend legal tech conferences. Write blog posts or speak on panels.
Let lawyers know you exist. Many cases are filled through referrals—not job boards.
Real-World Example: Coin Tubes and Material Science
Back to those coin tubes. Simple, right? But the science behind them is exactly what comes up in real legal cases.
Using Heat to Separate Materials
Heating the plastic tube expands it faster than the metal coins. The gap forms. Coins slide out.
This same principle applies in:
- Smartphone battery swelling due to heat.
- Server rack failures in hot data centers.
- Cracked casings in electric vehicle components.
In court, you could use this example to explain more complex failures—like why a $2 million medical device cracked after years in a desert clinic.
Analyzing Failure Modes
When a product fails, the question is: why?
Was it bad design? Poor material choice? Or did the user expose it to extreme conditions?
Your analysis of CTE, thermal cycling, and material fatigue can pinpoint the root cause. That’s powerful evidence—and a key reason law firms hire technical expert witnesses with material science backgrounds.
Conclusion
The courtroom isn’t just for lawyers. It’s for experts who can turn complexity into clarity.
With deep knowledge of software, hardware, and the materials that make tech work, you can become a trusted voice in high-stakes legal cases.
Here’s what sets top tech expert witnesses apart:
- You know your tech cold—software, code, systems, or materials.
- You’ve worked with legal teams and understand how courts think.
- You can write reports that are clear, precise, and defensible.
- You understand how temperature, stress, and design interact—especially in real-world conditions.
- You let others know you’re available. Networking pays off.
This isn’t a side gig. It’s a career where your expertise has real impact—on justice, innovation, and the future of technology.
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