Expert Witness Conference 2023 Debrief

Related Sector: Expert Witness

And just like that, the biggest event in the Bond Solon calendar is sadly over for another year.

Thank you to the record number of experts who joined us in person and virtually, as well as all our brilliant speakers, chairs, and sponsors – you truly made it a conference to remember!

The conference working group is now looking ahead to next year’s Expert Witness Conference, taking place on Friday 8 November 2024 at Church House, Westminster and virtually on Swapcard. We have some exciting plans which we will share in due course. But in the meantime, if you would like to join the 80+ experts who have already secured their place, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the team on 020 7549 2549 or follow this link to book online.

And if that doesn’t tempt you, here’s what a few of this year’s delegates had to say about the day:

Lovely venue and great food. Well-structured day and some interesting speakers. Has encouraged me to look at your education courses.

Great venue and food. Excellent program and brochure. Kept well to time. Will come again.

Extremely useful. Quality of speakers was excellent. Fabulously well organised. Great value for money.

I have attended Bond Solon conferences for many years. This year’s conference (2023) was one of the best ever. Why? Because it had experienced practitioners well versed in their fields operating at the coal face in the legal system. Such an approach has much more relevance than listening to academic theory. The real issues that can occur highlighted brilliantly in the case law updates.

Before we start winding down for the holidays, we thought we’d reflect on another successful conference and share some highlights for those of you who were unable to attend.

7am: Fuelled by pastries and grande coffees, the Bond Solon team arrived at Church House to prepare for the conference. Those with the widest smiles manned the reception desk ready to greet experts on their arrival, while other members of the team set up the Bond Solon stands in the two exhibition rooms, greeted the speakers, and assisted our virtual delegates on Swapcard.

8.30am: The first of our in-person delegates braved the elements to arrive at Church House, climbing the grand staircase into the exhibition rooms where refreshments awaited them. There were a wide range of exhibitors ready to meet and greet, including our lead sponsor Expert Witness, but also ALLDOQ, the specialist workplace for medico-legal experts, Anthony Gold Solicitors, Expert Witness Institute, Facilitate Expert Solutions, Livia Services, MAPs Medical, Medical & Legal Admin Services, Midhurst Children’s Therapeutic Services, Psychology and Psychiatry Direct, and Jane James Associates.

9.45am: Bond Solon’s Founder, Mark Solon opened the conference, followed by the renowned Isabel Hitching KC who delivered a talk on Rules, Practice Directions and Court Guidance. In her capacity as member of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee, she offered insight into the intention behind the new 20-page expert report limit in the intermediate track of civil claims in England and Wales, as well encouraging experts to get involved in the rule making process by responding to consultations, attending public meetings, and even applying to serve on committees.

10.30am: The morning session continued with a talk by the former President of the Law Society, Lubna Shuja who spoke in detail about the working relationship between expert witnesses and solicitors. This is a topic that has generated a lot of discussion following the results of this year’s Expert Witness Survey and the delegates appreciated her insight and practical guidance.  

11.30am: After a brief tea (or coffee) break, we resumed with the Annual Legal Update – a thorough analysis of the new cases and changes to the law and procedure over the past year, the principles of which experts are encouraged to apply to their practice. Kathryn Clague’s presentations are always well received, and this year proved to be no exception, with delegates stating that "Kathryn's talks are always freshly presented and informative’’ and ‘’this is always the most useful session of the day for me.’’

12.30pm: This year, we were delighted to hear from Karyn A Harty, the Global Co-Chair of Disputes and Head of Litigation at international law firm, Dentons (Dublin) who delivered a fascinating presentation on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used in the legal system. This could not be more relevant, following the results of this year’s Expert Witness Survey, where less than 30% of surveyed experts stated that they would consider using AI in the preparation of their expert witness reports or indeed any other aspect of their expert work. Karyn closed the talk with the following question – if you are not up to date with the application of machine learning technology in your own field, can you still call yourself an expert? 

After breaking for lunch, where experts mingled over a herb braised lamb shepherd’s pie or Cajun bean and potato ragu, with an apple and rhubarb crumble for dessert, the conference dispersed into the following parallel sessions:

• Medico-legal with Dr Jock Mackenzie, Partner at Anthony Gold and medical doctor and Mark Burton, Partner at Kennedys who discussed how they approach legal disputes from a claimant and defence perspective and what criteria lawyers consider important when looking to instruct an expert.
• Criminal with Natalie Wortley, Associate Professor at Northumbria University and Carole McCartney, Professor at Leicester Law School, who discussed the role of experts in the criminal courts and how the new statutory powers under the Forensic Science Regulator Act 2021 and the Forensic Science Regulator’s Code of Practice might impact experts.
• Commercial with Jonathan Carey (Partner, RPC) and Olivia Dhein (Knowledge Lawyer, RPC) who delved into recent case law relevant to experts, some practical points on the relationship between solicitors and experts and finally, the hot topic of AI.
• Family with Caroline Lynch, Barrister and Principal Legal Adviser of the Family Rights group, whose presentation focused on encouraging experts to engage with a wider context of their role, including the trends and challenges in the child welfare system and the family legal system, as well as the building blocks of the child welfare system. 

3.30pm: The afternoon continued with a session by Peter Sommer, Professor of Digital Forensics at Birmingham City University, Visiting Professor at de Montfort University and course developer for the Open University. Peter explored how to work effectively in a digital legal system to produce court compliant evidence while working securely to avoid the loss of sensitive material.

4.00pm: The final session of the day was the much-anticipated debate between Amanda Savage KC and Helen Evans KC of 4 New Square – both leading barristers practising in professional negligence and disciplinary and insurance work. The motion was: should all experts be independently accredited? Before the debate, 66% of attendees answered, ‘Yes’ and 34% answered ‘No’. But following a strong argument from Amanda, after the debate, the percentages almost reversed to 36% answering ‘Yes’ and 64% answering ‘No’!

5.00pm: The Bond Solon team joined the experts at Church House in toasting the conference with a drink’s reception (sponsored by ALLDOQ) and a presentation for some of the new Cardiff University and Aberdeen University Expert Witness Certificate holders, before we all parted ways.  

So, there we have it, a whistle-stop tour of this year’s Expert Witness Conference.

Bond Solon very much look forward to hosting you at Church House, Westminster and virtually on Swapcard, next year.