‘Expert Witness Pitfalls and Pratfalls’ - What happens when experts get things wrong –

Date: Tuesday, 15 Dec 2020, 18:00 - 19:30 Location: Internet Webinar Member cost: £0 (including VAT) Non-member cost: £0 (including VAT)

Mark Thomas BSc, MSc, LLM, Dip Adj, FRICS, FCIArb, FAE

Expert witnesses play an important role in modern dispute resolution. Few cases, and no professional negligence actions, take place in civil litigation without professionals being called to assist the Court by providing appropriate opinion evidence. Experts also appear in front of other tribunals e.g. planning inquiries, accident investigations, arbitration etc. Many professionals aspire to appear as experts. However, in doing so, they should be aware of the requirements of the role and the weight of the responsibilities they adopt, and of the pitfalls that await them if they get things wrong. Judgments are littered with judicial criticism of expert witnesses.

Mark Thomas, of Thomas Sands Consulting, will talk about how important it is for potential expert witnesses to receive training before stepping into the world of dispute resolution. He will illustrate the talk by reference to multiple decided cases including situations where experts have been fined by the Court, struck off by their professional bodies and even sentenced to prison!

Mark is a Chartered Surveyor specialising in construction contracts advice and dispute resolution. He has acted as an expert witness in litigation and arbitration for over 30 years. He has served on the Councils of the Academy of Experts, the CIArb and the RICS QS division and has lectured widely on expert witness topic,s both in the UK and overseas. He is a past Chairman of the Thames Valley Branch of the CIArb and of the CIArb’s Expert Witness Courses.