header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
15 December 2017 / Mark Solon
Issue: 7774 / Categories: Features , Expert Witness , Profession
printer mail-detail

2017: less reasons to be cheerful?

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
nlj_7774_solon

Fee reductions, the rise in litigants in person & the tight timetables mean expert witnesses are not happy as Mark Solon explains

Expert witnesses play a major part in the legal system providing guidance and expressing independent professional opinions to help judges and juries understand technical issues such as the cause of an injury or the value of a company. The survey shows experts are not happy, particularly because of reduced fees, the rise in litigants in person and the tight timetables.

Legal aid cuts

The have been many cuts to the legal aid budget in the last few years and these have impacted experts. The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LAPSO) has removed more than £350m from the civil legal aid budget .

Over a third of experts who could work in legal aid cases would now refuse to do so. Experts are not obliged to accept legal aid cases and expert work is for most a secondary source of income. If the fees are too low, experts must decide whether the work is worth their

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
Hogan Lovells—Lisa Quelch

Hogan Lovells—Lisa Quelch

Partner hire strengthens global infrastructure and energy financing practice

Sherrards—Jan Kunstyr

Sherrards—Jan Kunstyr

Legal director bolsters international expertise in dispute resolution team

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Corporate governance and company law specialist joins the team

NEWS
Read All
Legal notice: Notice under the Trustee Act 1925

NOTICE UNDER THE TRUSTEE ACT 1925

HERBERT SMITH STAFF PENSION SCHEME (THE “SCHEME”)

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND BENEFICIARIES UNDER SECTION 27 OF THE TRUSTEE ACT 1925
Emergency lawyers on call as international regulatory actions soar
Law firm HFW is offering clients lawyers on call for dawn raids, sanctions issues and other regulatory emergencies
NLJ this week: Employment law’s fine margins
From gender-critical speech to notice periods and incapability dismissals, employment law continues to turn on fine distinctions. In his latest employment law brief for NLJ, Ian Smith of Norwich Law School reviews a cluster of recent decisions, led by Bailey v Stonewall, where the Court of Appeal clarified the limits of third-party liability under the Equality Act
NLJ this week: Promises broken on non-molestation orders?
Non-molestation orders are meant to be the frontline defence against domestic abuse, yet their enforcement often falls short. Writing in NLJ this week, Jeni Kavanagh, Jessica Mortimer and Oliver Kavanagh analyse why the criminalisation of breach has failed to deliver consistent protection
NLJ this week: Assisted dying under the legal microscope
Assisted dying remains one of the most fraught fault lines in English law, where compassion and criminal liability sit uncomfortably close. Writing in NLJ this week, Julie Gowland and Barny Croft of Birketts examine how acts motivated by care—booking travel, completing paperwork, or offering emotional support—can still fall within the wide reach of the Suicide Act 1961
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll