We are reposting our update on the Fixed Recoverable Costs Stocktake Consultation. It is important for the Civil Procedure Rule Committee's Stocktake to be fully informed by the knowledge and experiences of expert witnesses, so do please take the time to complete our survey with the consultation questions by 21 December 2025.

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 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. 

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.

We have published extensive new resources on Alternative Dispute Resolution in the EWI Knowledge Hub. 

On 1 October 2024, the latest amendments to the Civil Procedure Rules will come into force.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committe has temporarily paused work on the proposed reforms to Access to Court Documents to allow the Transperancy and Open Justice Board to conduct the first phase of its work. The Committee has penciled in time in autumn to consider the matter further. 

The claimants were seeking permission to change their expert after their solicitors admitted they did not comply with applicable rules and guidance on experts' joint statements. 

Jenni Glover & Anor v Fluid Structural Engineers & Technical Designers Limited & Ors [2024] EWHC 1257 (TCC)

In this update on the 20-page limit for expert reports for cases on the Intermediate Track, we set out the position of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee on our concerns following further discussions, the Committee's intention to review the reforms after 12 months, and the EWI's advice to members. 

The judge considered, but did not reach a conclusion on, whether a party's communications with their expert before a joint meeting of experts should be disclosed.