Expert witnesses at a conference with counsel—a practical guide—compiled by Mark Solon
- This guide is intended to help expert witnesses understand the purpose of a conference with counsel.
- If you are a lawyer, you can cut out and keep this article to pass to your expert if they are to attend a conference. I will focus on civil claims but similar principles apply to arbitrations, criminal and family matters.
A conference between the expert and counsel is an important stage in the litigation process. Both lawyers and experts should prepare carefully to ensure conferences are as effective as possible. Many problems ranging from embarrassment to criminal proceedings can be avoided if a conference is conducted properly.
The starting point for the instruction of experts in civil claims is the guidance issued by the Civil Justice Council (https://bit.ly/3dE9VG5). The purpose of this guidance is to assist litigants, those instructing experts and experts to understand best practice in complying with Pt 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) and court orders. Counsel will use this to ensure the conference complies
