The judge found that an expert on risk assessment adopted an overly strict and slightly unrealistic approach in assessing the adequacy of a risk assessment conducted by a cycling Club.

The judge found that the Defendant’s expert in snowmobile operations was a partial witness who acted as an advocate for the Defendant’s case. He not only ignored the Claimant’s evidence and adopted the snowmobile guides’ evidence, but positively sought to persuade the Court to find facts in the Defendant’s favour.

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 parties unanimously agreed that the report of a Court appointed expert was fundamentally flawed, could not be relied upon, and a new psychologist would need to be instructed after the expert directly challenged the findings of the Court and the soundness of the evidence on which those findings were based. The Court denied the expert’s subsequent request for anonymity.

Liverpool City Council v A & Ors [2025] EWHC 1474 (Fam)

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 barrister for the Claimant was unable to explain to the court's satisfaction why she had cited several non-existent cases in pleadings. The case was referred to the High Court for its consideration which commented on the use of artificial intelligence in court proceedings.

In the 14th episode of the Expert Matters Podcast, Simon and EWI's Marketing and Events Manger, Heather George, reflect on their highlights from EWI's 2025 Annual Conference which was held on 20 June. The Conference featured a great line-up of panels and speakers, with keynote speeches from Lady Rose, Justice of the Supreme Court, and Lord Justice Birrs, the Deputy Head of Civil Justice. A wide range of lawyers, judges and expert witnesses joined the panel sessions, and EWI member Dr Richard Marshall provided an insightful session on AI and the Expert Witness. You can also check out our 'What's going on at EWI' and 'Newsreel' segments to keep up-to-date on the latest developments in the world of expert witnesses and expert evidence. 

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

The defendants denied the validity of a will on the grounds that the testatrix lacked testamentary capacity. The judge found that the conclusion of the jointly instructed expert as to testamentary capacity was inadequately reasoned and evidenced.

Carolyne Mary Parfitt v Victoria Jane Jones & Anor [2025] EWHC 1552 (Ch)