“It’s not the job of the expert witness to assist the claim” said Paul Philip, the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in 2024, “and the instructing solicitors should not be acting in any way that would undermine your impartiality or your independence as an expert witness”. That such advice should even be necessary […]
When you begin working as an expert witness in claims of clinical negligence, it won’t be long before the phrase “The Bolam Test” becomes a staple part of your life. Despite the frequency with which you will use it, the correct and appropriate application of the test can remain one of the most challenging aspects […]
This is a question that has been sent privately to us a lot, though remains difficult to answer for any particular individual as there are so many variables. However, if you want to think about whether the work is financially viable for you then you may wish to consider the following points: Perhaps a better […]
Acting as an expert witness, you come across the word “court” alarmingly often. “Duty to the court”… “Court proceedings”… “Court directives”… “Contempt of court”… You would be forgiven from reading this that going to court is a fairly regular occurrence for the average expert witness, and that dealing with the associated anxiety is just part […]
You may be thinking seriously about embarking on training to become an expert witness (hopefully with The Dental Expert Witness Course) – but what happens after completion of the three days? We all know that it is so easy to return back to work after a course, only to realise that weeks or months have […]
Expert witness work is perhaps, in a way, a little bit like being an anaesthetist – or a pilot. 95% of the time it feels quite calm and like you’re fully in control. But every now and again… There are aspects of this work that certainly mean the some of the issues we might find […]
Firstly, “just a GDP” is a very poor choice of phrase – apologies to all the hard-working GDPs out there! As we’ve written in other blogs, being an expert witness absolutely does not mean that you have to be a Consultant or a Professor or a dentist with many years of experience – the word […]
This is a great question, and I suspect that in reality the role is misunderstood by many within the dental profession. Through my own personal experience of speaking with friends and colleagues (and reading plenty of comments on social media), it is evident that many do not understand what is actually involved – and even […]
I have been instructing expert witnesses for the past 24 years in my role as a healthcare solicitor. When James asked me “Lisa, what do you think makes an excellent expert witness”, so many things came to mind. Here is my list of what I look for in a good expert witness: Lisa Nabou
I have my own personal take on this, but suspect that the response will be different from anybody that you ask. Some people who just love clinical dentistry may not really see the point of pursuing a career in a non-clinical setting, but for those who perhaps want to reduce their clinical commitment slightly, diversify […]
