The new standards, launched by Lord McNally and Sir James Munby at our last Expert Witness Conference, became law yesterday. These national standards (England and Wales) are designed to raise the quality of expert witness evidence in family court cases and speed up proceedings.
The standards include making sure that the expert:
- has knowledge appropriate to the court case
- has been active in the area of work or practice and has sufficient experience of the issues relevant to the case
- is either regulated or accredited to a registered body where this is appropriate
- has relevant qualifications and has received appropriate training
- complies with safeguarding requirements