(2003)

Dear Honorable Philip C. Jimeno Maryland Senate

You have asked for our opinion whether a licensed electrical engineer may give expert testimony in a Maryland court about whether a fire had an electrical origin. You note that State law includes the investigation of the cause of a fire within the definition of "private detective services" and ask whether an electrical engineer would be barred from providing expert testimony if the engineer is not also certified as a private detective.

In our opinion, an electrical engineer may be qualified as an expert witness on whether a fire had an electrical…