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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

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth

NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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