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24 November 2023
Issue: 8050 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Expert Witness
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NLJ this week: Experts speak on fraudulent trading & the hazards of the dependent expert

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In an NLJ expert witness double-bill this week, Mark Solon looks at the way experts work with instructing solicitors and what might compel them to forego their responsibilities to the court, while forensic accountant Rakesh Kapila tackles the financial aspects of fraudulent trading from an expert witness perspective

Solon, solicitor and founder of Bond Solon, which trains expert witnesses, reports that the 2023 Bond Solon expert witness survey ‘produced some disturbing data on the independence of expert witnesses and the way they work with instructing solicitors’.

He reveals all, in this instructive article, and explains the vital importance of retaining independence. He warns: ‘There have been many cases where the credibility of the expert has been demolished… with dire consequences.’

What are the giveaway signs of fraudulent trading? Kapila, principal at Sim Kapila, explains the different types of fraudulent trading and what information should be examined as well as other issues that should be taken into consideration.

He writes: ‘Although it may be relatively easy to prove criminal intent at one end of the spectrum, the position of defendants is less clear-cut in situations in which a business has found itself in difficulties resulting from an unrealistic business plan or from a “slide” into insolvency.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen appoints senior legal PR and ex-government communications adviser, Liz Giles

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott boosts Southampton commercial property team with addition of partner Lee Edwards

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors announces four promotions

NEWS
The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, and Solicitor General, Andy Slaughter KC MP, marked the 25th anniversary of Pro Bono Week by joining lawyers, charities, students and parliamentarians at events celebrating voluntary legal work
Witness evidence can be compromised by AI before a solicitor sees the draft, leaving safeguards focused on authorship incomplete
Possession claims are entering a new digital era, with procedural traps awaiting practitioners who assume familiar rules still govern every step
A polished legal defence may owe more to artificial intelligence than legal merit—and creditors risk paying the price in delay and expense
An indemnity costs battle with a £20m gap could reopen an important question: what weight should an approved budget carry?
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