Early collaboration between experts & solicitors is welcome news, say James Stanbury & David Greene
The continuing development of the litigation process and costs, particularly with the Jackson changes in prospect, are driving solicitors closer to experts and to collaborating with them at an earlier stage of the litigation process. This is to be welcomed, but certainly is a change in habit for many litigators.
The role of experts in the litigation process has radically changed over the past 10 years. This changing scenario and the place of experts in the dispute resolution process was well recognised by Lord Woolf in his report. The result of his work was to establish professional standards for experts and the modern relationship with the court. Woolf sought to emphasise the independence of experts and made experts directly answerable to the court. He also introduced within this framework the single jointly appointed expert. It was as a result of his work that experts have been required to state specifically that they recognise their role in the litigation
