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NLJ this week: Choose your expert & no improper influence

28 October 2022
Issue: 8000 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Expert Witness
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In an expert witness double-bill this week in NLJ, Mark Solon, founder of Bond Solon, warns of the perils of improper influence, recounting some cautionary tales in the form of recent caselaw.

There are professional risks for experts should they ignore the rules (and the client’s case may also be jeopardised), so why do people continue to do it? As Solon points out, experts ‘risk their reputation and credibility’ and may find themselves named in the judgment!

Solon writes: ‘It sounds basic, but the duty of the expert is to the court and not the paying party. The opinion must not be influenced by the lawyers and be seen not to be influenced.’

Forensic accountant Rakesh Kapila considers the issues at stake when deciding whether or not to hire a forensic accountant, and who to choose. He sets out examples of where they would be required and offers nuggets of advice on what to look for when considering the best expert for the job.

Kapila reminds NLJ readers: ‘The choice of a forensic accountant may make a significant difference to the outcome of a case and it is therefore important that a specialist with the right attributes and level of expertise is selected.’

See Mark Solon's article on improper influence here, and Rakesh Kapila on forensic accountants here.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Charles Russell Speechlys—Matthew Griffin

Charles Russell Speechlys—Matthew Griffin

Firm strengthens international funds capability with senior hire

Gilson Gray—Jeremy Davy

Gilson Gray—Jeremy Davy

Partner appointed as head of residential conveyancing for England

DR Solicitors—Paul Edels

DR Solicitors—Paul Edels

Specialist firm enhances corporate healthcare practice with partner appointment

NEWS
The proposed £11bn redress scheme following the Supreme Court’s motor finance rulings is analysed in this week’s NLJ by Fred Philpott of Gough Square Chambers
In this week's issue, Stephen Gold, NLJ columnist and former district judge, surveys another eclectic fortnight in procedure. With humour and humanity, he reminds readers that beneath the procedural dust, the law still changes lives
Generative AI isn’t the villain of the courtroom—it’s the misunderstanding of it that’s dangerous, argues Dr Alan Ma of Birmingham City University and the Birmingham Law Society in this week's NLJ
James Naylor of Naylor Solicitors dissects the government’s plan to outlaw upward-only rent review (UORR) clauses in new commercial leases under Schedule 31 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, in this week's NLJ. The reform, he explains, marks a seismic shift in landlord-tenant power dynamics: rents will no longer rise inexorably, and tenants gain statutory caps and procedural rights
Writing in NLJ this week, James Harrison and Jenna Coad of Penningtons Manches Cooper chart the Privy Council’s demolition of the long-standing ‘shareholder rule’ in Jardine Strategic v Oasis Investments
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