Shadow forensic experts

• Benefits of instructing shadow experts.
• Examples of work undertaken by forensic accountants as shadow experts.

A ‘shadow expert’ advises one of the parties in a case as part of the legal team and is not approved or endorsed by the court. Forensic accountants can play a very useful role as shadow experts in many types of case, including commercial disputes, matrimonial cases, personal injury claims and employment disputes.

Solicitors may wish to instruct shadow experts for a number of reasons. For instance, they may want assistance on specific matters outside their expertise, they may be seeking ongoing advice on accounting and financial matters throughout legal proceedings or they may want to obtain ‘second’ opinions on reports prepared by single joint experts. This article highlights the benefits of instructing forensic accountants as shadow experts, sets out the key features of the types of case on which they may be instructed as shadow experts and provides