Posted By Richard Altoft Has anyone had any experience of setting out to become an expert witness? I am after advice related to which qualifications and/or membership of expert witness "bodies" is most useful. Obviously the need for apropriate experienece and qualifications etc in one's own subject/area of expertise goes without saying. also anyone's experiences of which registers or directories are worth paying to join would be appreciated. #Thanks

Posted By Kieran J Duignan Richard The Expert Witness Institute and The Academy of Experts both have a wide range of professions represented amongst their membership. I completed several useful courses with The Academy. The EWI support and promote courses offered by Cardiff University and an independent company called Bond Solon. As an EWI member, I found the staff helpful and some of the meetings tremendously informative about how the role of the expert witness is viewed when he or she is actually cross-examined (a small percentage of instances in health and safety). If you enter this area, you need to ensure at least these two things 1. you appreciate why the Civil Procedure Rules were introduced in 1999 (preferably by geting a judge to inform you about the 'trial by ambush' culture that preceded these Rules 2. you can interpret at an early stage clues to solicitors likely to regard with much less seriousness than you might hope for, their responsibility to pay your bills as agreed