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The following release was issued on December 20th 2001
PUBLICATION OF NEW CODE OF GUIDANCE FOR EXPERT WITNESSES
- ACADEMY OF EXPERTS RESPONSE
The Academy of Experts, the main representative body for expert
witnesses in the UK, has today expressed concern that a new code of
guidance, intended for use by its members and others, falls short of the
kind of practical user-friendly guide required by expert witnesses and
lawyers.
The code, produced by a working party led by the Expert Witness
Institute Chair Sir Louis Blom Cooper QC, was commissioned by the former
Vice-Chancellor Lord Scott, and is published today with the permission,
but not the endorsement, of the Master of the Rolls Lord Phillips.
The document appears some two years after The Academy of Experts
produced what is widely regarded as the definitive code of guidance for
professionals working in this sphere, a guide which is in current use
throughout the UK and which has been updated and improved since its
introduction.
Commenting on behalf of The Academy of Experts, Chairman Roger Trett
said:
"The Academy of Experts expressed to Sir Louis and his working
party time and again that the model they were following in producing this
new code was cumbersome, complex, and not the kind of practical,
user-friendly guide required by experts and those who use them.
"Despite our 14 years experience of representing expert witnesses
and working with lawyers here and around the world, our advice was largely
ignored.
"Prompted by a clear demand for a guide from experts and those who
use them, we regrettably found ourselves with no option but to develop a
code which could be readily understood and used.
"Our guide, which complies with the Civil Procedure Rules, has -
as acknowledged today by the Master of the Rolls - been in successful
operation for some two years, has been cited positively in judgments, and
has been praised by many eminent individuals, including Lord Woolf.
"The Master of the Rolls makes clear that he believes that both
our code, and the one produced by Sir Louis' working party, are worthy of
publication. While he offers no view on the relative merits of the
respective codes, we feel confident that all active expert witnesses and
lawyers - not only our members - will prefer the Academy's proven
practical guide."
* ENDS *
Notes to Editors:
1. The Academy of Experts (The Academy) is the largest professional
body for Expert Witnesses in the UK and around the world, with around
2,000 members across a wide range of professions and competencies. The
Academy is owned by its members.
2. The Academy was founded in 1987 to promote better use of experts, to
ensure that best practice in the use of experts is maintained and
developed, and to facilitate the cost efficient resolution of disputes.
3. The Academy provides members with accreditation and training, and
Users of Experts with a source of accredited Expert Witnesses. It also
facilitates Mediation, and Mediation training.
4. Copies of the The Academy of Experts Code of Guidance are available
for download from our web-site on www.academy-experts.org or on request
from our office.
Media enquiries:
Eleanor Conroy on 020 7344 1561 or at eleanor.conroy@edelman.com
Stephen Doherty on 020 7344 1513 or at stephen.doherty@edelman.com
James Tait on 020 7344 1542 or at james.tait@edelman.com
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