Expert Witness Training

An expert witness’s report is a vital element in litigation. It must be clear, succinct, independent and well presented. Many Forensic Accountants develop their own report-writing style or adopt other people’s. But they have rarely received constructive feedback from lawyers on what’s actually required from their written evidence.

This course explores what lawyers and the courts expect and require from an expert witness’s report. You will be taught how to assess your own and other experts’ reports, and to produce, quickly and consistently, reports that are court-compliant and that can withstand cross-examination.

The witness box is a lonely place. Forensic Accountant expert witnesses may feel they are on trial, standing in the dock rather than giving independent testimony to assist the court. Often, Forensic Accountants are unfamiliar with this environment, as few cases go to a full trial. But a poor performance can undermine confidence and credibility.

Courtroom Skills is an intensive and highly practical training day. First, we examine the theory, practice and procedure of giving evidence, demystifying the process. Then, you are cross-examined on a case study that you prepare in your field of expertise. A professional trainer, who’s an experienced lawyer, gives constructive feedback on your witness-box presentation.

The Cross-Examination Day is a follow-on course to the Courtroom Skills Training. This intensive cross-examination training course helps you as a Forensic Accountant expert witness to refine and enhance your evidence giving performance, and to gain mastery of your presentation. You will be cross-examined on one of your completed reports, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The second cross-examination is recorded.

Forensic Accountants acting as an expert witness in civil proceedings in England and Wales need to understand the basics of law and legal procedure. This helps you work effectively and confidently, and to comply with mandatory requirements.

You will cover the principles of liability and quantum of damages through case studies. You will also look at the practical implications of the Civil Procedure Rules, legislation, guidance and judicial comment on the roles and responsibilities of experts.

Forensic Accountants who act as an expert witness in family law matters in England and Wales need to understand the basics of law and legal procedure. This helps you work effectively and confidently, and to comply with mandatory requirements.

In this structured training course, you will learn the legal principles in children’s cases, the different types of evidence and admissibility, and the impact of the Human Rights Act. You will also study the practical implications of court rules.

Forensic Accountants acting as an expert in criminal proceedings in England and Wales need to understand the basics of law and legal procedure. This helps you work effectively and confidently, and to comply with mandatory requirements.

In this structured training course, you will consider the practical implications of your duties and responsibilities to the court as set out in Part 19 of the Criminal Procedure Rules 2015. You will also learn the essentials of disclosure, continuity of evidence and how to maintain professional objectivity and impartiality.

This advanced masterclass is designed for Forensic Accountant expert witnesses who have already attended the Excellence in Report Writing course two or more years ago.

It is important that experts’ training is up to date and relevant. Your expert witness skills and knowledge can be lost over time if they’re not refreshed and practised regularly. In addition, rules and conventions of expert evidence change over time, and are likely to continue changing.

You will be part of a small group undertaking this training, which includes a brief refresher of core report writing skills and a full update on recent changes in relevant legislation, procedure, practices and case law. There will be an in depth critique of each experts’ report by our experienced lawyer-trainer, as well as peer-to-peer feedback, all based on objective assessment criteria for writing expert witness reports.

The course acts as a useful refresher and is designed to enhance your report writing skills to an advanced level.

Meetings and discussions between experts are increasingly being requested by the courts in an attempt to save court time, reduce legal costs and bring about a settlement between the parties.

These discussions between experts may feel more informal than the courtroom, but can be just as important to the outcome of the case.

This course will provide Forensic Accountants who act as experts with a comprehensive overview of what these discussions entail, possible pitfalls and the implications if best practice is not followed. You will gain a thorough understanding of the court procedure rules governing discussions between experts and the court’s intention behind these discussions.

Role play exercises on the course will enable you to apply this knowledge and practice the skills necessary to conduct effective discussions to best practice standards.

An expert’s report is an essential element in litigation. It must be clear, succinct, independent and well presented. An excellent report is also one of the most effective marketing tools that an expert witness will have in their career. Reports are seen by many professionals during litigation and often new instructions are received from opposition lawyers. However, many Forensic Accountants create their own report writing style or adopt other experts’ formats and styles, having rarely received constructive feedback from lawyers on what is required from their written report.

This course explores what lawyers and the courts expect and require from an expert’s report. You will be taught how to assess your own and other experts’ reports. Working with our model format and techniques received during the training you will be able to produce, quickly and consistently, reports that are appropriate for use in litigation and can withstand cross examination.

The witness box is a lonely place. Forensic Accountant expert witnesses may feel they are on trial, rather than giving independent testimony to assist the court. Often, Forensic Accountants are unfamiliar with this environment, as few cases go to trial. But a poor performance can undermine your confidence and credibility.

Courtroom Skills is an intensive and highly practical training day. Firstly we examine the theory, practice and procedure of giving evidence, demystifying the process. Then you are cross-examined on a case study you prepare on your field of expertise. A professional trainer, who is also an experienced lawyer, gives constructive feedback on your witness box presentation.

The Cross-Examination Day is a follow-on course to the Courtroom Skills Training. The day involves intensive cross-examination experience which enables Forensic Accountant expert witnesses to refine and enhance their evidence giving performance, and gain mastery of their presentation.

You will be cross-examined on one of your own reports, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The second cross-examination is recorded.

Forensic Accountants acting as expert witnesses in civil and criminal proceedings in Scotland need to understand the basics of law and legal procedure to work effectively, confidently and comply with various mandatory requirements.

The practical implications of The Law Society of Scotland Expert Witness Code of Practice, guidance and judicial comment on the roles and responsibilities of experts are studied.

This toolkit will help you understand what the General Data Protection Regulations means to you as a Forensic Accountant expert witness and provide you with tools you are most likely to need to comply with the GDPR.

As a Forensic Accountant expert witness, it is essential that you keep up-to-date with the key legal cases that affect your role.

This video recording will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the key cases and developments in relation to expert witnesses that have taken place in the past 12 months. The main focus of the webinar is on civil cases involving expert witnesses, however the general principles that flow from it and lessons learnt will apply to all experts regardless of which legal arena they operate in.

This update was presented at the 2021 Annual Bond Solon Expert Witness Conference. If you attended the conference you will already have access to this recorded webinar.

The Courts are increasingly vigilant at ensuring that expert witnesses fully understand and fulfil their duty to the court, and all their obligations under the Civil Procedure Rules. They have taken serious action against those experts who have failed to do so, including criticism in the final judgement, making costs orders against the expert witness and considering ordering imprisonment for contempt of court.

Expert witnesses are required to sign a Statement of Truth, a Declaration that they are aware of Civil Procedure Rule 35, Practice Direction 35 and the Guidance, and a statement that they have complied with their duty to the Court in their reports. If called to give evidence, they could be cross-examined on their understanding of the Rules. Forensic Accountant expert witnesses therefore cannot sign those declarations without reading and fully understanding CPR35, PD35 and the Guidance. Instructing solicitors also require evidence that expert witnesses have a full understanding of the Rules and know how to comply with them.

To provide experts with the knowledge they require to comply with the Civil Procedure Rules, and to satisfy instructing solicitors and the courts, Bond Solon has developed an interactive e-learning course - Introduction to Civil Procedure Rules (England and Wales).

During investigations, Forensic Accountants are required to conduct interviews in situations where the information obtained may be vital evidence in later proceedings. Failure to conduct these interviews properly may result in evidence being inadmissible, unreliable or without weight. It may adversely affect the fairness of any subsequent legal hearing.

This 2-day Investigative Interviewing course will provide you with the key skills to interview witnesses, obtain witness statements and interview suspects effectively and to best-practice standards, enabling you to maximise the evidence you gain during such interviews.

The internet is an increasingly important tool for Forensic Accountants when conducting investigations. When used effectively, it enables investigators to save a considerable amount of time and money. But failure to research properly, monitor changes, capture data, and follow procedures or legislation could result in any evidence obtained being rendered inadmissible.

This 2-Day Open-Source Internet Investigations course will provide you with the core skills to use the internet effectively as an investigative tool. It will enable you to quickly source information and gather evidence lawfully to further your investigations.