Industry experts sometimes make poor expert witnesses because of their unfamiliarity with their role and duty to the court, James Stanbury, partner at RGL Forensics, writes in this week’s NLJ. He focuses on four key stages for an expert: selection; instruction; reports; and meetings. Instructions should be timely and clear, early instructions can reduce costs and allow matters of strategic importance to be highlighted earlier in the process. Discussions between experts are an essential part of the process, and too much solicitor involvement in these may hinder rather than help the process as well as risk compromising the experts’ independence.
02 June 2017
Expert business
MOVERS & SHAKERS
NLJ Career Profile: Nick McDonnell, Kain Knight
Nick McDonnell of Kain Knight reflects on an unexpected legal career, his drive to support vulnerable clients and the surprising pleasures of watching nothing happen
Mayo Wynne Baxter—Angela Arnold
Mayo Wynne Baxter strengthens property team with new partner appointment
WilmerHale—Jeremy Kosky & Charlie Lightfoot
WilmerHale expands London disputes capabilities with addition of two leading partners
NEWS
Lawyers have welcomed the Lord Chancellor’s reverse-ferret on jury reforms, but expressed ‘serious concerns’ about the decision to exclude fraud trials
From ‘rats in the robing room’ to ‘overworked’ judges and a shortage of court staff, barristers have aired their concerns about the state of the justice system
The use of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) poses ‘significant risks’ across the justice system, public services and government, and current regulation is ‘poorly suited’ to control it, experts have warned
The solicitors’ regulator has paused controversial plans to exclude owner-managers from compliance officer roles
The government has launched a £16m legal support grant to support 48 frontline legal advice organisations supporting people facing eviction, problem debt, benefit disputes and family breakdown
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