A vocational expert is a type of expert commonly used in spousal support cases. These experts are typically brought in for a couple of reasons. One reason is to show what a party’s earning capacity could be, especially if they are unemployed or have been out of the workforce for some time. Another reason is to demonstrate that a party may be underemployed, meaning they are not working to their full potential.
The purpose of using a vocational expert is to provide evidence of what is most important in these cases: a person’s income or their ability to earn income if they were fully employed. These experts can also be used in child support cases for the same reasons.