Questions and Answers

The EWI has just released its new Guidance on Being instructed as a Single Joint Expert with invaluable and easily accessible information and advice for members who act as a Single Joint Expert. 

The Lady Chief Justice has issued the fourth amendment to the Criminal Practice Directions 2023 which includes changes to chapter 7 (Expert Evidence), including amendments to expert declarations of compliance.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee is undertaking a consultation regarding the effectiveness of the extension of Fixed Recoverable Costs (FRC), inviting feedback as part of an evidence-gathering initiative conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). You can input into the EWI response by completing a survey of the consultation questions. 

One of the key roles of the Expert Witness Institute (‘EWI’) is to ensure that policy, rule and regulatory changes are informed by the experience of our members, and the needs of the expert witness community and the wider justice system. In this update, we discuss policy developments and our advocacy work over the last few months.   

From 1 January 2026, the Civil Procedure Rule Committee will be piloting access to public domain documents in the Commercial Court and London Circuit Commercial Court of the King’s Bench Division and the Financial List (Commercial Court and Chancery Division).

The Annual Sir Michael Davies Lecture for 2025 was held on 15 October at the RAF Club in London. The Right Honourable Lady Simler, Justice of the Supreme Court, delivered an insightful lecture on Enhancing Expert Evidence: Reports, Opinions, and Judicial Perspectives, which was summed up perfectly by EWI Chair Sir Martin Spencer as the blueprint for providing the best written and oral expert evidence.

Her appointment was announced at the Sir Michael Davies Lecture on Wednesday 15th October.. 

The award was made at the Sir Michael Davies Lecture on the 15th of October.

Resolve Medicolegal and EWI held our annual Scottish Medicolegal Conference at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow on 19 September. The event featured great speakers and panels and lots of interaction with the audience of expert witnesses and legal professionals. It was a brilliant Conference so, with a number of the EWI team attending, we thought we’d note some of our key highlights.

Top tips and new support available to ensure you remain complaint and provide a good quality CV.

Fans of true crime and anyone involved in giving expert evidence might be interested in a recent podcast episode from EWI Fellow, Dr Harry Brunjes.

The Expert Witness Institute has set up a new partnership with the Pro Bono Expert Support Scheme which is a collaborative initiative between the National Pro Bono Centreand Pro Bono Connect, designed to support pro bono legal cases by connecting lawyers with a wide range of volunteer expert professionals.

The RICS is seeking feedback from public stakeholders on the updating of its Professional Standard for Surveyors Acting as Expert Witnesses. The new 5th Edition is scheduled for publication in late 2025/early 2026 following the completion of the consulation . 

The Expert Witness Institute, the UK’s leading body for expert witnesses, is proud to announce a new partnership with Expert Insight, a community dedicated to supporting registered psychologists working as expert witnesses.

The judgement from The Honourable Mr Justice Trower asserts that Expert Witnesses have a duty to disclose previous criticisms of their evidence in judgments.

The House of Commons, Justice Committee has published a Call for Evidence for its Inquiry on Access to Justice. The Inquiry will examine how advice and legal services are adapting to secure access to justice across civil, criminal, and family law, and the impacts of the cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency.

The Criminal Procedure Rule Committee has published a new consolidation of the Criminal Procedure Rules and an accompanying guide. The new Rules will come into force on 6 October 2025.

The Transparency and Open Justice Board has published its final Key Objectives and its response to its Public Engagement on the proposed Key Objectives. In this article, we set out the key points for expert witnesses and provide some initial guidance. 

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee ('Committee') is consulting on proposed amendments to the Civil Procedure Rules Part 77 and the Practice Direction 77 to support the implementation of the new power of the Secretary of State for Justice to direct the Parole Board to refer certain top-tier cases to the High Court for a new release decision.

The Online Procedure Rule Committee ('OPRC') is holding a consultation on its draft inclusion framework and pre-action model. Responses to the consultation are due by 5pm on Friday 19 September 202