Professor Graham Chase FRICS FCIArb FRSA FInstCPD
Graham Chase is, first and foremost, an agent who brings the market to the professional side of Court, Tribunal and ADR activities. He has appeared as an expert witness in most dispute formats and is one of the UKs leading property dispute resolvers sitting on both the RICS DRS and CIArb DAS panels. He is a Past President of the RICS and Past President and current Chairman of the Association of Town & City Management
Nicola Cohen CAE
Nicola is the Chief Executive of The Academy of Experts, which is the principal professional body founded for those acting as Expert Witnesses. She has been actively engaged in the establishment of Best Practice and the setting of standards for experts and regularly liaises with the Ministry of Justice and other organisations, both in the UK and internationally. She is actively involved in training experts and dispute resolvers in the UK and around the world.
Katerina Hoey BSc (Arch) DipArch MSc (Construction Law) ARB RIBA MCIArb MAE
Katerina is a Chartered Architect with over 30 years’ experience in the construction industry in the UK and Middle East. She is a Partner with forensic architects, Expert Architect Studio LLP. Having spent many years running live projects, she is now apractising architect expert witness and has acted in disputes involving matters of professional negligence, building defects, regulatory compliance, design defects, planning, design management and contract administration, as well as a variety of technical issues.
Mark Thomas BSc MSc LLM FRICS FCIArb FAE
Director of Thomas Sands Consulting – Chartered Quantity & Building Surveyors. Mark is a past Chairman of the Thames Valley branch of CIArb and of the CIArb’s expert witness courses. He is a practising expert witness, arbitrator and adjudicator, and is currently the lead trainer on the RICS’s Expert Witness Certificate, training RICS members worldwide. He also chairs the RICS’s assessment panels for their Accredited Expert Witnesses.
Ruth Wilkinson Solicitor
Ruth is a legal director in the construction team at Hill Dickinson LLP. She has significant experience in construction and engineering advising on both disputes and front-end contract drafting, on JCT, NEC & FIDIC standard forms, against a wide range of projects including offices, retail, hospitals, schools, process engineering, rail and power plant. Ruth is a member of the Technology and Construction Solicitors Association and is the Regional Coordinator for the Reading region of the Society of Construction Law
PROGRAMME OF PRESENTATIONS
1) WHO SHOULD BE AN EXPERT WITNESS
Must you be a specialist?
Should you be currently practising in your particular field?
How up to date must you be?
Honesty: To Clients and Lawyers and Why
Professionalism: In all you do.
Impartiality: To all parties - its implications
Truthfulness: Don’t be economical with the truth
2) LEGAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF EVIDENCE
Understanding Legal Jargon
CRP, Part 35 & Single Joint Experts
Statements of case and time scales
Disclosure of documents & privilege
Judges’ order for ‘WP’ meetings of experts
Experts’ liabilities
Lawyers’ expectations of experts including-
3) PRE-TRIAL DUTIES & MEETINGS OF EXPERTS
The status of preliminary reports
Assisting with the preparation of a case
Assisting in the Discovery Process
‘Without Prejudice’ meeting of Experts:-
4) EXPERT WITNESSES’ REPORTS / PROOFS OF EVIDENCE
Actions at an Inspection/Visit/Examination:-
The Preparation of your report:-
5) DUTIES AT THE TRIBUNAL HEARING
Different types of tribunals
Arrangement of court and parties
Procedures adopted by the court
How much of the core bundle and other experts' reports must you know?
How much of the hearing must you attend?
Extra duties during the hearing
How do you give evidence?
Who do you address?
Some cross examination techniques.
Beware making calculations in the witness box
Changing one's mind
6) HANDLING EXPERT WITNESS APPOINTMENTS
How do you get work?
What registers are there?
Which organisations should you join?
Agreeing your terms & conditions
How to charge and how to get paid
Professional Indemnity
The booking includes lunch, refreshments and access to speaker’s notes