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27 October 2023
Issue: 8046 / Categories: Legal News , Expert Witness
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NLJ this week: Be careful with the evidence of unregulated experts

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What is an expert? Do they have to be attached to a regulatory body? What type of accreditation is required? In this week’s NLJ, Dr Chris Pamplin, editor of the UK Register of Expert Witnesses, looks at two recent cases on this conundrum

Pamplin writes that, in one case, the Association of Clinical Psychologists ‘submitted this was a stark and troubling example of an individual who held herself out as an expert but had neither the qualifications nor the relevant skills to do so’.

He includes guidance handed down by Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, on the use of unregulated experts. Finally, Pamplin urges the courts to exercise particular vigilance and rigour when deciding whether to admit the evidence of such an unregulated expert.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Commercial law firm announces appointment of corporate partner

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joinscorporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
The winners of the LexisNexis Legal Awards 2026 have now been announced, marking another outstanding celebration of excellence, innovation, and impact across the legal profession
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
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